Forever, That's What We Said
by WriterChild
Summary: When Cat begins living in the Hollywood Arts attic, Jade takes it upon herself to give her best friend shelter. She's just doing what's best for Cat, but when more time is spent together and secrets spill out, will it tear them apart or bring them closer together? Friendship, eventual romance. Rated T, for safety reasons and for later chapters.
1. You Can't Live in an Attic

**Character Introductions (Main storyline):**  
Caterina Valentine  
Jade West  
Tori Vega  
Beck Oliver  
Ms. Catherine West (Jade's Mother)  
Jeremy West (Jade's younger brother) - _As mentioned in Jade's What I love, short on TheSlap_  
Mr. Stephen West (Jade's Father)  
Lorraine West (Jade's Step-Mother) - _As mentioned in Jade with Tots, short on TheSlap_

* * *

Cat shut her locker door and swung her messenger bag over her shoulder, weaving her way through the crowd of students and faculty that had gathered in the foyer as they headed for the double doors at the front of the school. Mentally, Cat sighed, as she thought of her classmates heading for home. "Hey Lil' Red," André said, cutting off Cat's path.

"Oh, hi André. Gotta go André, bye." Cat waved and then swerved left, making a beeline for the nearest clearing and continued to make her way to her destination as André shrugged off his encounter with the girl, to him, the spacey demeanor was just typical Cat Valentine.

"Hey André, over here," called Tori, waving the boy over to her locker, where she stood with Robbie, Beck and Trina.

"Have you seen Jade? She left Sikowitz class pretty quick and didn't meet me at her locker like she usually does," Beck asked him as he looked around for any sign of his girlfriend.

"Oh hey, yeah, I asked her if she was coming to Karaoke-Dokey with us tonight and she said she had, things to do," André made quotations with his fingers and Beck just nodded. "She said not to bother her and to tell you she'd call you later."

Beck ran his hands through his hair and adjusted his backpack, "I guess we're all here, Cat said she had plans, so she isn't coming either, let's go, I'm starving and I could really go for some buffalo wings right about now," he said as he walked with the others out to the school parking lot.

Cat entered the dark stage area and crossed the floor until she reached the ladder on the wall, climbing to the second balcony, right above where Sinjan's soundboards were set up. Carefully, trying to not make any noise, afraid a janitor could be lurking and catch her, Cat opened the small door to the Hollywood Arts school attic, crouching down as she entered. It was dark, too dark and if there was one thing Cat hated it was the dark. Arms outstretched, she felt her way around until a tiny hand clasped around a thin string. As she turned on the light and dropped her school bag to the floor, Cat screamed and jumped backwards. Sitting on her makeshift bed was Jade, playing with a pair of scissors and cutting up scrap paper.

"J-Jade, what are you- What are you doing here, alone, in the dark. Are you- Are you lost? Are you going to kill me?" Cat's voice was shaky and concerned, taking in the pair of scissors in her friend's hand. Jade let out a sarcastic laugh as she set the scissors down.

"It would be so easy wouldn't it? But, no." Standing up off the bed Jade straightened out her black top and looked at the smaller girl who was clearly still a little startled by Jade's presence. "Well, _Caterina Valentine_-"

"Caterina? Only my Nona calls me that," Cat interrupted.

"Speaking of your Nona," Jade said, her tone of voice changing from curious to concerned, a tone that was usually reserved specifically for girl standing in front of her. "Cat _why_ aren't you at your Nona's? Your parents called me yesterday and asked if I'd seen you, your Nona said you haven't been there in a couple days." Cat looked down and Jade took a step forwards, "Cat it's me, Jade, talk to me. I thought you wanted to stay at your Nona's."

Cat shuffled her feet and bit at her bottom lip, hands wringing nervously around one another, "I did, really, but her bird is really mean to me and he attacked me while I was trying to sleep and her house smells like cabbage and I really don't like cabbage Jade, have you ever seen those dolls? They are weird and creepy and they have big eyes. So I came back here, the rats aren't bothering me as much and," Cat rolled up her sleeves, revealing tiny bite marks and bruises. "Please don't make me go back, the bird is evil," Cat whispered, eyes darting around as if she expected the bird to fly in at any moment.

"Jesus Cat! What kind of bird does she own, a hawk?" Shaking her head, Jade blinked rapidly a few times, regaining her thoughts and composure. "Cat, you can't live in the school, eventually someone will find out and kick you out. You're living off vending machine food for God's sake!" Jade's voice got a little louder as she pointed to the pile of wrappers at the foot of the bed. "It's not healthy and well, it's weird Cat."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Cat shouted as she flopped down onto the edge of her bed, eyes now fixated on the floor, "I have no where else to go Jade, what am I going to do? No one wants me." The last part of her sentence was spoken so softly, Jade had to strain to hear it and when she did, she knew Cat hadn't meant for her to, so she left it. She'd deal with that at a later date.

"Yes you do," Jade swung around and grabbed an oversized dufflebag from the corner of the room and began to shove Cat's things into it. "You can stay at my house, my Mom won't care, she's stupid anyway, she probably won't even notice you're there and if she does, well we both know she likes you more than she likes me anyways and my brother will be thrilled. If you're there he will have someone to play Candyland with and he'll spend less time bugging me, it's a win-win for everyone involved and-" Jade looked back at Cat as she put the rest of Cat's clothes into the bag. "Come on Cat, don't look so sad, it's horrible, like.. A day without, I don't know, it's just crappy okay? Besides you sleepover all the time, granted you usually invite yourself, but a sleepover is a sleepover, this is just a really long sleepover." Cat didn't bother to look up as she mumbled a response, something about six months to two years. Jade groaned and knew she was going to regret what she was about to say, but it came out anyways, in a pleading sort of voice she wasn't sure she'd ever heard herself use before. "Please Cat, I'll even let you put some of your things," she said motioning to all the colourful pillows and stuffed animals the girl owned, "I'll- I'll let you put them around my room, so it's not so dark and scary."

Jade stood, letting Cat mull over the idea for a while. "I- Thanks Jade," Cat said as she stood up and made brief eye contact with the taller girl.

"Don't mention it, besides you are the only one I'd do this for. We're best friends, sure you have Vega now, but you're still _my_ best friend and the thought of you living here, being stuck in this room, it's just not right." Jade handed Cat Mr. Purple, the stuffed giraffe and then shoved Cat's bedding into the bag and zipped it up. "Come on," she said tapping the end of Cat's nose with her finger. "We'll stop at the store on the way home and pick up some ice cream, we can order pizza for dinner. My brother is away on some school Science trip and my Mom's working late, so we'll have the house to ourselves for most of the night."

Cat's eyes widened and sparkled. "Can we have a dance party?"

Jade groaned at the idea and rolled her eyes as she hoisted the large bag over one shoulder. "We'll see, now let's go before any giant rats decide to just drop in for an unexpected visit."

"Yay," Cat exclaimed clapping her hands as she followed Jade out of the attic and back down the ladder.

Jade unlocked the front door of her house, letting it swing open as she motioned for Cat to go in ahead of her. Jade made her way to the kitchen and shoved the ice cream in the freezer. The two made their way up the staircase to the bedroom at the top of the stairs and to the right, a large wooden 'J' that had been painted black nailed to door. Jade dropped Cat's bag onto the bed and tossed her the house phone. "Call and order pizza, get whatever, I'll clear some space in my dresser and closet for your clothes and then we can put your things away while we wait.

By the time the pizza had arrived, Cat and Jade had finished unpacking and as Cat bound down the stairs to meet the delivery guy, Jade took one last look at her room, the once black space was now speckled in coloured accents and somehow despite Jade's protests, Cat had managed to smooth out her bright comforter on top of Jade's black one. Shaking her head and dreading having to sleep in the mess of colour, Jade made her way downstairs where Cat was flirting up the pizza guy. Jade paid for their dinner using the money her Mom had left her in the sugar jar on the counter, as she usually did when she worked late, which happened more and more since Jade's Dad walked out, making a life for himself without her and instead with his new trophy wife and her tiny yappy dog. She gave the guy a generous tip, mainly because she couldn't be bothered to wait for him to count out her change and slammed the door in his face, much to Cat's clear disapproval.

After what felt like forever of back and fourth, the two girls had finally managed to decide on a movie and Jade popped it into the DVD player before settling onto the couch next to Cat who was munching happily on her pizza, eyes transfixed on the television set. "I'm glad you're here," Jade mumbled, not really sure why she said it at all, as she reached for her own slice of the cheesy treat on the table and doing her best to hide the smile she knew had somehow formed on her face.

"Me too," Cat said through a mouth full of crust, not mentioning that she noticed the rare smile on her friend's face.

Anyone who knew Jade, knew she was everyone's idea of a stereotypical teenager. She hated her parents, her brother, her teachers, everyone really, except Cat and her boyfriend Beck and sometimes she felt like she hated him too, no one really understood Jade. Again, Cat being the exception. Most people were usually shocked to find out that the two had been best friends for just over ten years, they were polar opposites, like night and day, but it hadn't always been that way. They met in Kindergarten, the days when Jade didn't cringe over the thought of pretty dresses and playing Barbies, but those days were long gone, things had changed, but Cat never did and Jade didn't blame her, those days were simpler times. Cat and Jade had grown up together, Cat was the only person really there for Jade when her parents divorced. She was the only person she let in, really let in, for years, until Beck came along.

Cat knew the truth of what was under Jade's hard exterior, where no one else had bothered to go. And Jade knew that Cat as innocent as truly was, put on a mask, she was an actress after all. Cat knew Jade and Jade knew Cat. They kept the depth of their friendship mostly behind closed doors, but it seeped through every once and a while in front of others, but everyone knew better than to make a big deal out of it when it did. They knew eachother's deepest secrets. Well, most of them and as the two sat on the couch watching their movie, Cat's head having found it's way to Jade's shoulder, all Jade could think was how much harder it was going to be to keep the one secret she'd managed to keep from Cat for as long as she could remember, now that they were living together.

And as Cat stared at the TV and little to Jade's knowledge, the red head was having the exact same thought.

Yes, Cat and Jade were best friends who had more in common that either of them really knew.

* * *

**This was the first chapter, I do have 2 more chapters already written out, however as this is my first time writing a Victorious fanfic, I wasn't sure if there would be a good enough response for all 3 chapters to be warranted right away. If you like the story so far, please let me know, I was hoping to turn this into a multi-chapter fic. I have enough ideas to run with this for a while and since Victorious is coming to an end, sadly, I thought no time like the present to get the ball rolling. **

**Let me know what you think. Should I continue?**


	2. Breakfast Discussion

As the sun burst through the small open spaces around the bedroom curtains, Jade woke slowly, a closed fist rubbing at her eyes the other patting around the space next to her on the bed. Empty. If it weren't for the obnoxious amount of colour that seemed to now consume the once pure black space, Jade would have thought it all to be a very detailed dream. Climbing out of the bed and making her way across the room and down the hallway to the bathroom, Jade's hand froze on the doorknob as a familiar voice filled the air around her. Cat.

_I'm in the shower and I'm writing a song, _  
_Stop me if you've heard it._  
_My skin is soapy and my hair is wet, _  
_And tegrin spelled backwards is negrit. _  
_Lather, rinse, repeat, _  
_And lather, rinse repeat. _

Jade wasn't a morning person and any other time, waking up to a bathroom already in use would have caused her to bang loudly and threaten the occupant until they let her in, but this was Cat and that made all the difference. She seemed like she was back to her normal self, cheery and happy as she sang her ridiculous shower song. So instead, Jade turned on her heels and made her way down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Good morning Sweetpea," Jade's mother said, her nose buried in her book as she sipped at a cup of tea. Jade grunted a response as she went about her morning routine, coffee. Black, two sugars.

Any other morning she would have protested, sneered and sniped at the pet name, she hated being called sweet, no matter what was tacked onto the end of it. It was gross and after all Jade was anything but. However despite Jade's current situation, the one that was innocently singing away upstairs, she knew she was in no position to be mouthy. Setting her book down on the table, Jade's mother stood up and crossed the kitchen, leaning back against the countertop. Catherine West was tall, like Jade and she had the same eyes as both her children. Her hair was brown and medium length, curling just the way Jade's did. Her nose was smaller, lips thinner and features softer than her daughter's and unlike Jade, she rarely wore a was a hardworking patient woman, especially when it came to her rebellious teenager and overactive son, Jeremy. Catherine took a breath and tilted her head just so to get a better look at Jade.

"So, I got home pretty late last night and I went in to check on you," Catherine began, Jade's eyebrows rising. "Imagine my surprise when I went into check on you and I caught a flash of red hair burrowed in the blankets next to you. You know I love Cat, but even when I'm working late, the rules still apply, sleepovers are not allowed if it's a school night, did we forget that?"

Jade let out an exaggerated breath, not bothering to look at the older woman as she pulled two cereal boxes down from the top cupboard. "No, I didn't, but Cat has no where else to go and you're always telling me to be nicer, so I'm being nicer, I told Cat she can stay here." Catherine eyed her daughter suspiciously as she continued on into a rather lengthy story about large rats, only being allowed to flush when absolutely necessary and Cat taking up residence in the school attic, because her parents were going to be gone for a while and she had run out of options as to where she could go. "Then there was the evil bird that attacked her while she was sleeping." Jade said finishing up her story, Catherine staring wide eyed as she mulled over in her mind everything she had just been told.

"Well, that explains why your room was looking a little less vampire cave like and more like, I don't know, a teenage girl's room." Catherine let out a light airy laugh and Jade couldn't help but let out a small noise that she would have denied to be a laugh if anyone asked.

"So you aren't mad?" Jade asked as she crossed the kitchen and pulled out two bowls and a couple of spoons from the silverware drawer.

"I would have liked if you had asked first, but no, I'm not mad, like I said, you know I love Cat, so of course she can stay, I would hate to see her not taken care of properly, but-"

Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, two arms wrapped themselves around Catherine's middle, the culprit of the attack giggling into her side. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Ms. West you are the best, I don't know why Jade says you're not, because you are!" Cat squealed, letting go of Jade's mother and clapping her hands while Catherine sent Jade a pointed look. "Did Jade tell you about the cabbage?" Cat asked, behind her Jade was shaking her head at her Mother, signalling for her to just leave that one alone.

"You're welcome Cat, it's always good to have someone around that makes Jade seem less anti-social and you know you are always welcome here." Catherine said, ruffling Cat's freshly showered hair.

"Yeah, we know," Jade said sarcastically. "That's why she always randomly ends up in my bedroom when I haven't invited her over or let her in." Catherine picked up her book from the table and smacked Jade playfully on the arm causing Cat to laugh and Jade to scowl.

"Jade, be nice and stop frowning, you're going to give yourself wrinkles."

Catherine made her way to the front closet, pulling on a light sweater and grabbing her purse. "Okay girls," she said, her tone becoming more stern. "Jade's curfew is ten on a weeknight, midnight on the weekend, Cat I expect you to follow this curfew as well. If you're sharing a room, I don't want you up all night, a little pillow talk is fine, but I don't want any dance parties going on in the middle of the night." Catherine gave a wink to Cat and continued on, "I expect homework to be done and if you make a mess, clean it up. And no _funny business_ in front of your little brother Jade. Oh and empty the dishwasher before you leave for school please, have a nice day girls."

Catherine headed out the front door, Cat waving at her frantically. "Goodbye Ms. West, have a good day at work, Jade loves you!"

"Cat!" Jade proclaimed. "Don't tell her that."

Cat shrugged her shoulders and headed back to the kitchen table. "Jade, what did your Mom mean when she said no funny business? We don't have a business, we're still in school, I don't think we'd have time to do both, even though owning a joke shop would be pretty fun."

Jade set down a bowl of cereal in front of Cat and poured the milk, soaking in what Cat had just said, what her Mother had just said. "I don't know, eat your breakfast," Jade muttered under her breath. _'What was that look she gave me when she said that?'_ Jade thought to herself as she poured milk over her own cereal.

"Is something wrong?" Jade asked, watching Cat stare down at her bowl.

"No, I'm just admiring the pretty colours, this is my favourite cereal you know." It wasn't a question, more of a statement as Cat spooned large mouthfuls and munched away.

Of course Jade knew, after all it wasn't to long ago that Cat had sat in that very spot and cried when Jade handed her a bowl of CoCo Puffs, explaining to Jade that she liked her cereal to be cheerful and happy, like Fruity Pebbles. Ever since then Jade had made a point to be sure there was always a box, just in case Cat stopped over for one of her many surprise sleepovers or breakfast dates, not that she would tell anyone that, if they asked, she'd tell them they were her brother's.

"Jade?" Cat said looking up at the girl across from her. "How'd I get to bed last night, I don't remember going up there and when I woke up I was a little confused about where I was, but then I heard you snoring beside me and I remembered."

Jade's mouth fell and she dropped her spoon down into the bowl in front of her, "I do not snore! And I carried you up, you fell asleep half way through the third movie and I didn't want to wake you." Cat nodded her thanks and gave Jade a shy smile that Jade returned and the two finished their breakfast in silence. Jade's mind analyzing her Mother's comment about 'funny business' before she left for work. _'She couldn't possibly-" _

Jade shook herself from her thoughts and brought her empty bowl to the sink, "I think I'm going to go that a shower," she mumbled as she made an escape from the room, only to be stopped in her tracks by Cat calling after her.

"Jade wait, I have your bathrobe."

Jade had been so caught up in her conversation with her Mother, she hadn't even noticed that Cat was parading around the kitchen in Jade's black bathrobe. "I, uh, I'll just wrap myself in a towel, you keep it on and go finish your breakfast," Jade said quickly, but it was too late. Cat had already slipped out of the robe and was holding it out to it's rightful owner.

"Jesus Cat! You can't just strip down in the living room!" Jade exclaimed as she squeezed her eyes shut, Cat now standing in front of her barefoot, wearing nothing but a bright pink bra with orange hearts and a tiny pair of underwear that matched in print and colour.

"Why?" Cat asked innocently. "It's not like you've never seen me in my underwear before."

"We were nine!" Jade pointed out, shaking her head and willing away the image of her best friend.

Cat laughed and stepped closer to Jade. "You've seen me in my bathing suit plenty of times and this is pretty much the same thing, here, take your robe, I'm going to go get dressed and then have more cereal, cartoons are on!" Cat thrust the robe into Jade's hands and slinked past her, bumping her with her hip and giving a giggle as she hurried up the stairs, leaving Jade clutching the robe to her chest, eyes wide, knees weak and cheeks flushed.

_'Did you see that body?'_


	3. Heartless

Cat spent most of the day, when she wasn't in class, looking for Jade. While Jade, spent most of hers avoiding be found, unable to face her red-headed best friend knowing she had practically seen Cat naked earlier that morning. The guilt of her thought in that moment haunting her.

"Hey," Beck said, creeping up behind his girlfriend and wrapping a strong grip around her middle, causing Jade to jump at the contact. "Whoa, sorry," Beck shifted himself, leaning in to kiss Jade ,but she turned her head and he looked at her curiously. "Are you okay? You never called me last night and I text you, but you didn't reply."

"Shit," Jade said under her breath, spotting Cat coming down the hallway, as she grabbed Beck's arm and pulled him into the Janitor's closet. "Yeah, I'm fine, I uh, needed to do some stuff, Cat needed help with some stuff and to make a long story much less boring and a little shorter- Cat's living with me. Oh and my room looks like rainbow threw up all over it." Jade shrugged her shoulders and took in the look on Beck's face. She couldn't tell if it was confusion or disbelief, but the part of her that thought it was disbelief was the part she reacted to. "What? You don't believe me? Cat and I are friends you know, best of friends actually, why are you looking at me like I just told you I'm changing my name to Princess Penelope and trading my car in for some stupid-ass pony."

Beck folded his arms across his chest and stared at his girlfriend, unsure how to respond, but feeling uncomfortable under Jade's hard glare. "I know you're friends, I just, didn't realize you two were still that close, you're not the same girl you used to be and I just assumed that her and Tor were best friends."

_'Tor?'_ "Tor? Oh, okay, didn't realize we were giving little miss perfect a nickname now, what is it to hard to put that extra letter on the end? And for your information, Cat and I have always been best friends, I just don't always feel the need to broadcast my personal life and parade my friendships around like they are some sort of circus act. And not the same girl? Oh I'm sorry, but what would you know about who I used to be or for that matter who I am?" Jade all but screamed at Beck, her arms flailing.

"I don't know you? Funny Jade, real funny,-"

"No you don't, clearly, if you thought that just because _Tor_ came along that mine and Cat's friendship would just vanish into thin air," Jade huffed shoving Beck aside as she ripped open the door to the Janitor's closet and stormed off, Beck quick in tow behind her.

"Wait! Jade hold on, I'm sorry okay, where are you going?"

Jade said nothing as she made her way out to the quad and took her usual seat at the table. André, Rex, Robbie and Tori sitting and chatting idly amongst themselves. "Where's Cat?" Jade said interrupting their conversation and shoving away Beck's hand as he attempted to rest it on her thigh.

"She was looking for you last time I saw her, she said something about getting a puppy and needing to ask you what kind you want?" Tori said looking at Jade for answers.

"Her and Cat live together now," Beck noted before turning and talking to André about a project they had to do for one of their music theory classes.

Tori nodded, "I see, well I'm sure she'll find her way out here eventually, do you want half my sandwich?"

Jade reached across the table and snagged the bigger half of the hoagie on Tori's plate. "Thanks_ Tor_," Jade said in faux-sweet voice, being sure to drag out the sentence in an effort to let Beck know, she wasn't letting it go.

"Whoa, hold up, did Jade just say thank you? And to Tori? Damn, where the flyin' pigs at?" Rex comments, him and Robbie both looking up at the sky.

"Shut up Rex, Robbie control your puppet or he'll end up as a set of pencils on a shelf at Target." Jade growled and threw her sandwich down on the table and stood up, "I'm going to find Cat," she muttered, not caring if anyone heard as she zig zagged through the crowd and back in the direction of the school, with no real intention of finding Cat. Rex calling after her.

"Who you callin' a puppet?"

As Jade reached the doors, she saw Cat, standing by the school's new slushy machine, texting, while waiting impatiently for Sinjin to get his drink and stop talking to her. She hadn't even realized she'd been staring until she felt her phone vibrate multiple times in her pocket, snapping her out of her daze.

**Cat:** Where are you? Did you get kidnapped?  
**Cat:** Sinjin's bugging me, where are you?  
**Cat:** Want a slushy? They have red, I know it's your favourite.  
**Cat:** JADE! ANSWER ME!  
**Cat:** Fine no slushy for you. And I'm not going to let you borrow one of my Palejehoocho's!

By the time Jade looked up, Cat was no longer standing at the slushy machine and Jade was almost tempted to text her back to find out what a Palejehoocho was, but instead she turned and headed towards the school parking lot. Jade fished around the bottom of her bag until she found her keys, a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. Starting her car, Jade flicked on the radio and lit a smoke, taking long, slow hauls until she was practically smoking filter. She flicked the butt into the empty space between her car and the one next to it and climbed onto the hood of her car, pulling her sunglasses over her eyes and leaning back against the windshield. "Why is this so hard? It was never this hard before?" She whispered to open air.

By the time Jade had managed to pull herself from her bubble of self-loathing, Sikowitz class had already started. She made her way in through the back door and ignored her teacher's comment about her tardiness, waving him off as she took a seat next to Cat that had clearly been saved just for her. Or so the bright neon coloured paper with Cat's handwriting said.

_'Jade's seat. Don't sit here or you aren't getting a Palejehoocho.'_

There was that word again and Jade made a mental note to ask Cat about it later or not to. She hadn't really decided which was the safer route to go with that one just yet. She ignored Beck's stares and Cat's small chit chat, eyes focused to the front, but her ears not really hearing anything Sikowitz was saying.

"What's that? Who's phone's ringing?" Sikowitz shouted, hands clamped down over his ears.

"That's just the bell, you nitwit," Rex snickered as the students grabbed for there bags and headed for the door. Their teacher not quite ready to let them leave.

"Your assignment," he began as the group let out a groan, stopping in their tracks and turning back towards the stage area. "A dramatic monologue." Sikowitz paused, crossing the stage and picking up a coconut from the window ledge. "I don't care what it's about, but I want to cry, I want the coconuts to cry, I want it to be a monologue that would make the coldest, most heartless person cry."

"Oh so you mean Jade?" André commented, earning himself a slap from Jade and a chuckle from most of the class.

"That was mean, take that back," Cat protested as Sikowitz handed out each student's date of performance and dismissed the class. Jade pushing past everyone to be the first one out, unnoticed tears on her face. "Jade, Jade wait, where are you going, our art class is the other way," Cat called after her.

"I'm not going, I'm leaving, get Beck to drive you home," Jade yelled over her shoulder, trying to disguise the pain in her voice and she disappeared out of the door and back towards her car. Leaving her friend's standing in the hallway with puzzled looks on their faces. Jade reached her car once more, settling into the driver's seat and forcing her key into the ignition. _'They are just words Jade, don't let them get to you. But.. __How could Beck just laugh? Why did Cat stick up for me, I mean- Why didn't he? Do they all really think I'm the most heartless person in the world, I know I can be mean but- Why is everything starting to seem- Why is this so hard, it was never this hard before. Do people really not think that Cat and I are still as close as we once were? Is Beck right? Have I changed that much?'_ Jade's mind was racing as she tore out of the parking lot with no particular direction in mind.

* * *

**Okay, so I know that might seem like a weird place to leave it, but I promise it's the perfect spot. **

**Let me know what you think.** **Review :)**


	4. Did That Just Happen?

It was already 45 minutes past her curfew when Jade finally looked down at her phone and internally cursed herself for being late and prayed her Mother hadn't been home yet. Jade felt a little guilty, she knew she was supposed to watch her brother after school, but she knew Cat was there and that made the guilt ease. Picking herself up off the grass, Jade placed her songbook back in her backpack and took one last look at the glowing lights of the Hollywood sign and headed down the hill to her car.

As Jade pulled into the driveway, she didn't know whether to smile or roll her eyes, her Mom wasn't home. Tonight it seemed like a blessing, but other night's Jade just felt like her Mom stayed away because she didn't want to spend time with her. And although she wouldn't say it to anybody, she missed her Mom. All the lights were off, except one, the porch light. She figured Cat left it on for her and couldn't shake the feeling of thanks as she slid her key into the lock, silently opening the front door and tiptoeing up to her bedroom, being careful not to wake Cat, who was passed out on the bed. Cat looked peaceful and Jade had to tear her eyes away in an attempt not to stare.

_'You're being creepy, like Sinjin level of creepy, stop,'_ Jade thought as she walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pajamas and dressing quickly.

Making her way back across the bedroom, she noticed Mr. Purple, Cat's stuffed giraffe sitting on her pillow, a pink envelope propped up against him. Taking the letter, Jade sunk down next to the bed, using her cell phone light to see as she ripped it open and pulled out a letter. Her breath hitching in her throat as she read each word Cat had written, carefully.

_Dear Jade,_

_It's almost our curfew and you didn't come home yet, I've been waiting. You left in a hurry and I know, even though you'd never admit it, that André's words hurt you._

Jade bit at her bottom lip, her mind going back to what André had said, her eyes welling with tears once again, sometimes she wished Cat didn't know her so well, at the same time wishing her other friends, if that's what she could even really call them, knew her the same way Cat did.

_I hope you know it will never matter what they think, not to me and it shouldn't to you either, because I know the real you. The caring, funny, amazing girl I call my best friend. People may only see your hard exterior, but I've seen the walls around you as you built them up and I know that I'm the only one who really ever understood._

_You've always been there for me, always, which is why I'm here and not sleeping in the school attic right now. You're heart is not cold, it's warm like your favourite cup of coffee._

Jade laughed, only Cat would reference the warmth of an internal organ to a beverage that Jade was so happily addicted to.

_I love you Jade and maybe I've never told you that, you're my best friend, you're the one that never makes me feel stupid, the way most people do. You're patient with me and you're always willing to lend me a helping hand when it's needed, I honestly don't think I would have made it as far in school or life if weren't for you._

_I hope you come home soon, because the bed is so much warmer with you beside me._

_I miss you when I don't know where you are and you don't answer your phone, but I'm not mad, I just hope you're safe._

Guilt washed over Jade like a waterfall, as she recalled pressing ignore each time Cat called her earlier that evening.

_I think you probably went to your thinking place and I thought about asking someone to take me there, but I knew if you were there it was cause you wanted to be alone and if I took someone with me, they'd know where you run too and I know you wouldn't want that._

_I was thinking maybe tomorrow, we could both skip our Art class, since it's first period and Ms. Coulter said it was going to be a free period to work on our end of semester projects. Maybe we could go for breakfast at that place you like, what's it called- Oh yeah, A Knife & Fork. We could get bacon and eggs and we could just talk. Or we could sit in silence, whatever you want._

_Let me know._

_I'm going to sleep now, because I'm really tired, I played 8 games of Candyland with your brother and then we played tag. I promised him we would make cupcakes tomorrow after school. Maybe you can help? Unless you have plans with Beck._

_Goodnight Jade, sweet dreams,_

_Cat._

Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Jade folded the letter back up and closed her eyes. _'I love you Jade,'_ the text whirling around in her mind. Jade picked herself up off the floor and climbed into bed with Cat, rolling on to her side to face her best friend. "I love you too Cat," she whispered before closing her eyes and hoping sleep would come sooner rather than later.

Feeling Jade slide into bed, Cat did her best to hide her smile at Jade's words and she snuggled in closer her face buried in Jade's neck and arm splayed out across her stomach. Carefully and softly, Cat pressed a chaste kiss to Jade's neck and quickly fell back asleep.

_'Did she just kiss me?'_ Jade's mind screamed as she looked down and noticed Cat's closed eyes and even breaths. _'She couldn't have, she's sleeping. She probably just accidentally bumped your neck with her lips when she cuddled in. Yes, that's it. Cat is straight and so are you, get yourself together Jade West you are losing your mind.'_

Despite herself, Jade couldn't help but notice the fluttering and flustered feeling in the pit of her stomach when she had felt Cat's lips against her skin and though usually Jade would protest to cuddling, even with Beck, tonight she could feel herself changing as she wrapped her arms around Cat and tangled there legs together, letting sleep take over her body.

* * *

**I know this chapter is shorter than the others, but I will make it up to you. **

**Up next, Cat and Jade's breakfast date. **

**Thank you all for the reviews, I am trying to get up a chapter a day, because you have all been so sweet.**


	5. Cat's Confession

Cat woke the next morning before the alarm went off and slowly untangled herself from Jade, careful not to wake the sleeping girl, she knew how late Jade got in and she knew she'd be tired, besides Jade's not a morning person and Cat didn't want her to be upset. Silently Cat made her way downstairs and joined Catherine and Jade's little brother Jeremy in the kitchen.

"Good morning," Cat said cheerfully, giving Jade's Mother a hug and ruffling Jeremy's hair playfully, causing his to laugh and bat her hand away. Cat just smiled and opened the pantry door, pulling out a container of her best friend's favourite coffee and began to prepare it the way she had watched Jade do it many a time before.

Catherine looked at her and smiled. "And since when did you start drinking coffee?" She asked, with a knowing glint in her eye.

"Oh this, it's for Jade, she's still sleeping," Cat answered before turning around and facing Catherine. "Can you do me a favour?" She said as she propped herself up against the counter. Looking and her suspiciously, Catherine motioned for Cat to continue, so she did, "I was wondering if you could write Jade and I a letter to get us out of first period? Our teacher said it's going to be a free period to work on our Semester end projects, but Jade and I are nearly finished and I was hoping to take her to breakfast and that Knife and Fork place she loves," Cat shrugged and mentioned under her breath how something was going on and she needed to talk to Jade because something was going on and Jade needed to know.

Catherine ignored the muttered part of Cat's question, she knew better than to pry into Jade's life, but that didn't mean she wasn't worried. Hesitantly Catherine nodded, "If you go get me a piece of paper, I can do that, but I want you to be sure the two of you make it to the rest of your classes and I need you two to make sure you're here right after school to watch Jeremy."

"Cat already said she would be here, we're going to make cupcakes together," Jeremy mentioned as he spooned a large spoonful of cereal into his mouth, causing Cat to laugh and Catherine to scold him for talking with his mouth full.

Cat nodded and left the room, reappearing with a piece of paper and a pen.

"Here you go," Catherine said as she placed her's and Jeremy's empty bowls in the sink. "Jeremy grab your backpack, we have to go, you have a Doctor's appointment before school."

Jeremy groaned and Catherine winked at Cat as the two of them packed up their things and left the house.

By the time Jade had woken, Cat was sitting in one of the arm chairs to the right of the bed, scribbling in her notebook, her attention from her work turning to Jade as she watched her sit up, yawn and stretch. "I made you coffee," Cat said pointing to the steaming cup that was sitting on the bedside table next to Jade's alarm clock that read 9:00.

"Shit, Cat we're late for school," Jade said picking up the coffee and taking a sip. "Mmm thanks," she said as she continued to drink, enjoying the slight burn as it went down.

Cat smiled and waved Catherine's letter at Jade, "I got your Mom to sign us out of first period, how about we go for breakfast?"

"You- She- Really?" Jade asked, surprised her Mother would agree to this, "I, sure, breakfast sounds great, I'm gonna go hop in the shower and get dressed," she mumbled as she set her coffee back down, her eyes falling to the pink envelope. "Thanks, for the coffee and the letter," she said not looking up at her best friend who just nodded and smiled. Jade's mind once again reeling with the thought of Cat's lips against her skin the previous night, part of her wanting to ask Cat if she had meant to kiss her, the other part feeling like she'd be an idiot to ask, after all, Cat was asleep and Jade had already chalked it down to an accident.

Jade pulled a pair of jeans and a top from her dresser and grabbed her towel and robe off the back of the door, stopping to take one last look at Cat who again was writing in her notebook a look of concentration on her face that caused a slight bubble of laughter to form in Jade's throat. "What are you doing over there?"

"Writing my monologue for Sikowitz class, I have the first performance date," Cat's voice was calm, but happy. Jade knew Cat loved to perform and more than anything she loved to be first. "When is yours?"

Jade shrugged her response, "I never actually looked."

Before Cat had a chance to respond Jade exited the room and Cat could hear her turn the shower on and step in.

It was just past 9:30 when the two girl's made it to the restaurant and were seated in a back booth. They ordered, Jade her usual eggs, bacon and homefries, with an bottomless cup of coffee and Cat ordered pancakes and a large cup of orange juice. Even their choice of breakfast foods were like night and day and Jade couldn't help but notice the look the waiter gave them when he took their order. It was the same as they got every time they were together and around someone who didn't know them, the _'How in the world are these two friends'_ look.

Jade was dressed in all black, as always, with her long hair curled and blue highlights gleaming under the white lights of the restaurant, her make-up dark and her tongue sharp. Cat was her polar opposite, dressed in a pink top and a pink tutu skirt, her red hair in a high pony, tied up with a ribbon, her makeup light and sparkly and a happy smile that could melt the meanest of people.

That sat in silence until Jade decided she couldn't take it anymore and spoke up, "I'm sorry I worried you last night, I just needed to be left alone."

Cat nodded, poking at her pancakes with her fork and drawing smiley faces in her syrup, "I know." Cat looked up, her eyes meeting Jade's, "I feel like, like something's going on with you and you aren't telling me and we tell each other everything, I know you don't talk about feelings and you put up a wall with everyone else, but it kind of seems like you're putting me behind that wall too. I don't like it."

All cheer was drained from Cat's voice and Jade sighed, she hated when Cat got like this, mind you when Cat was overly excited and loud, she didn't quite like that either, but she'd pick that over this side of Cat any day. "I don't really know myself, I will tell you once I figure it out, but if you go around telling people that I'm upset and to be careful around me, like you did last time, you'll be back sleeping in the attic at Hollywood arts, got it?"

Jade was different with Cat, but threats and sarcastic remarks were a part of Jade and Cat knew that, so she plastered a smile on her face and laughed. "Got it, but- Jade did- I was- Last night when you came home- Um, how are you and Beck?" She asked as she looked back down at her half eaten pancake and poured more syrup.

_'Beck?'_ Jade thought, knowing that whatever Cat was going to say, wasn't about Beck, Cat had changed her mind at the last second and Jade knew this, but she answered the question she was asked anyways, even though her mind was wondering what Cat was going to say when she mentioned Jade coming home. _'Did she mean to-' _"I don't know," she admitted, "I feel like since we got back together, things aren't the same, I think he wanted me back, but I think a bigger part of him wanted Tori and he just was to afraid to say it. I don't know if he loves me the way he used too. I don't know if I love him the way I used too."

If Cat heard Jade's confession, she didn't say anything and Jade was thankful, instead she focused on the part about Tori, her mind going over and over something, something that Jade couldn't put her finger on as she watched Cat's eyes. "Yeah, Tori," was all she said and Jade didn't know how to respond. "We should hurry up and get back to school. I'm gonna go pay," she said shoving aside the rest of her pancake and getting up from the table, her arm caught by Jade's hand wrapping itself around her wrist.

"Cat, sit." It wasn't a demand but a plea, _'What is she not telling me?'_

**-The Night Before-**

_"Hello?" Tori said answering her phone. "Cat is that you? Cat? Hello? I know you are there and I know it's you, it says on my phone. Cat?"_

_"I saw you, with Beck," was all Cat managed to squeak out before Tori knew she'd been caught and began trying to cover her tracks._

_"We were practicing Cat, for our monologue, he was helping me-"_

_"I'm not stupid Tori, he wasn't helping you, our monologues are solo projects. Don't lie, it's mean, especially to me, how could you do that to Jade, after everything she's done for you?"_

_"For me? What Jade's done for me? Oh come on Cat, Jade's the meanest girl in school, she's never done anything nice for me."_

_"She dropped out of the award show so you could perform. And that was her dream," Cat admitted. "And she gave you permission to date Beck at the-"_

_"Exactly!" Tori exclaimed causing Cat to hold the phone from her ear. "She gave-"_

_"But then you helped get them back together and then, how could you?"_

_"Are you going to tell her, please Cat, I'm your best friend, please-"_

_"Jade's my best friend," was the last thing Tori heard before the line went dead._

"Cat, what is going on, why are you acting like this? You know if something's bothering you or someone, I will cut them-"

"Tori kissed Beck after school, I saw them and I tried to talk to her but she just said how mean you were and I couldn't hear it anymore and I was gonna call Beck but I was so mad at him, because you're awesome and Tori's cool, but not as cool as you and I just, I didn't know how to tell you and I wanted to tell you in the letter I wrote you last night, but I thought you'd rather hear it in person, but I didn't want to hurt you and now, you're hurt, cause I can see it in your eyes and I'm sorry, please don't hate me?"

It came out like word vomit and Cat clapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispered, making brief eye contact with Jade.

Jade was staring at Cat with wide eyes, fighting back tears, Beck had kissed Tori, Tori had kissed Beck. And Cat had been stuck in the middle.

"Can you go pay so we can go to school. I need to kill that little home wrecker."

Cat let out a scared squeal as she grabbed her purse and hurried to go and pay, part of her wanting to turn back to wrap her best friend in a hug.

"Hey Cat," Jade called, causing Cat to turn around in an instant. "Thank you, for telling me, I'm glad I have one person I can count on."

The sincerity in Jade's voice wasn't new to Cat, so she didn't make a big deal out of it the way most people would. She just nodded and continued her path to the front counter of the restaurant.

* * *

**Next up - What will happen when Jade and Cat get to school? **

**Also, I will be writing a chapter about Cat and Jeremy making cupcakes, so have no fear, you will get to know him a little better as well. **

**What'd you think of this chapter? Good/Bad?**

**UPDATE: For the 'Guest' that said they do not care about Jeremy, you may want to stop reading this, as he will play an important role in getting Cat/Jade together. **


	6. You punched Tori!

Jade crashed through the front doors of Hollywood Arts, Cat practically running to keep up to her speed, freezing as she saw Jade spot Tori, André, Beck and Robbie standing around the lockers, laughing at some joke that Robbie was telling, Rex spoiling his punchline and berating him for telling the joke all wrong.

"Vega," Jade growled as she joined the group. "You have one chance-"

"Hey Jade, did you just get here, I haven't seen you or-" Before Tori finished her sentence a loud crack echoed through the halls as Jade's open hand connected with Tori's face. "What was that for?" Tori asked innocently, making Jade more furious as she grabbed Tori by the hair and hurled her to the ground.

"You evil BITCH!" Jade screamed as she jumped on top of the girl and began to feed her shot after shot, not giving into Tori's screams for her to stop. "You're not so pretty now are you?" She sneered as Beck grabbed her and pulled her off of Tori, blood coming from her nose and lip.

"Jade what the hell has gotten into you?" Beck said, trying to keep a calm demeanor. Jade sent him a smirk, just as her hand connected with Beck's perfectly chiseled jawline, his hand immediately going up to his face to cover the spot in which she had just attacked.

Lane heard the commotion and came rushing from his office, his features shocked as he took in the sight before him, "Everyone get to class, there is nothing to see here." None of the students moved, they all just continued to stare. "Jade West, my office now!"

Ignoring his request, Jade turned back to Tori, still laying on the floor, André and Robbie at her side. "How dare you kiss _my_ boyfriend," she screamed, getting the attention of the few wandering students who hadn't already become spectators in the fight that was unfolding before their eyes. Turning to Beck, as she fought back her tears, she shoved him into the lockers. "I gave you a chance, you said, you said you wanted me, you're a liar." Jade watched his eyes fall from her to Tori, causing Jade to bring her knee, hard, into Beck's groin, ignoring his painful moans as she turned back to Tori, once more.

"Jade!" She heard Sikowitz and Lane call her in unison, but again she ignored them as she swung her leg back and promptly shoved her boots into Tori's ribcage.

"You selfish whore! Can't you find your own boyfriend?"

"You jealous he wanted me?" Tori mocked, adrenaline rushing through her veins.

Fighting the pain he felt Beck found his arms wrapped around Jade as he held her back from her attempt to lunge at Tori. "I hate you, all of you, especially you!" She screamed twisting herself around to face Beck. "Have her, I don't care anymore. I hate you!"

The tears that now streamed down her face, seemed to catch everyone off guard as Sikowitz and Lane made their approach, both taking one of Jade's arms as they carried her back to Lane's office, past a frightened looking Cat who just watched her best friend, kicking and screaming threats. "You better watch yourself Vega, You won't always have someone around to protect you!"

Once Jade was safely out of sight, Trina came rushing over. She had been in class when the fight happened, but Sinjin had run to get her, on the way to the Black Box Studio, to upload the video he had just shot. "Come on, let's get you home or to a Doctor or something," Trina started, before Tori's voice cut her off.

"I can't, I-"

"Yes, you can and you will, look at you, you're a mess," Beck began.

"This is your fault!" Tori called out, Beck looking mildly shocked. _'How can this be my fault?'_ He asked himself until he saw that her eyes weren't focused on him, but on the red head standing by the staircase, still looking frightened and unsure. "You- You told her what you saw, after I told you not too, I told you to keep your mouth shut, but you couldn't do that could you! Dumb little Cat, can't keep a secret to save her life and now look, look what you did!"

"Now, you can't blame Cat, this was all Jade," Robbie interrupted.

"Yeah come on Tori, Lil' Red didn't mean to-" André nodded his head in agreement with Robbie, his sentence cut off by another loud ear splitting smack. Cat left standing in shock as Tori's hand connected with her face.

Tears immediately sprang to Cat's eyes and she looked up at the girl who she thought was her friend. "You- But you- You hurt my best friend, you were mean and you-"

"Jade's not your best friend, she's no one's best friend, she doesn't know how to be, she's a horrible, thoughtless gank!" Tori screamed and Cat, the girl who most people thought wouldn't have the heart to hurt a fly saw red.

Once again Tori was on the floor as the strength of Cat's punch sent her to the cold marble. "How dare you!" Cat shouted as she took a step backwards. "You don't know her, none of you do. You may think she's mean- But- But you're the mean ones, what you did, Jade would _never_ do to anyone." Cat said throwing a look to Tori and then focusing her attention on André "And what you said yesterday. You don't know her the way I do. She is not heartless or cold or anything, she's amazing, you are all just to blind to see it."

Looking back at Tori, Cat shook her head. "She is my best friend and I'm sorry that I ever thought maybe you were my friend too. You're not. I don't like any of you, how could you all be so mean, so- So- Ugh!"

As Cat continued to eye the group before her, Beck gave her a look that she almost thought to be guilt. "You're a jerk," was the last thing Cat managed to choke out before she turned and shuffled her way through the crowd to Lane's office.

_"Violence is not tolerated at this school," Lane bellowed._

_"Unless it's stage acting," Sikowitz said, trying to lighten the mood and make Jade's frown disappear. He hated seeing Jade cry, actually it scared him._

_Lane sat down in his chair, across from Sikowitz and Jade and shook his head. "A week's suspension."_

_"No! You can't I have my performance in Sikowitz class and I-"_

_"A week," Lane said not budging._

_Sikowitz nodded, he knew the punishment could have been a lot worse for his student. "We can reschedule your performance date."_

_"I will have someone bring you your homework at the end of each day, this is not a vacation, it's a punishment," Lane continued. "And I will have to call your Mother and let her know."_

_Jade opened her mouth to protest, but she knew there was no use. _

_"Jade West, I am very disappointed in you," Lane said as he picked up the phone and dialed the emergency contact number in Jade's school file._

As Cat approached Lane's office, Sikowitz was exiting the room and he took a look at Cat and shook her head. "She's in there, she will be leaving soon."

Cat's face fell and more tears spilled down her face. "Leaving?! What's that supposed to mean! She can't get kicked out of Hollywood Arts, she belongs here!" Cat threw her arms up in the air and Sikowitz placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"She isn't getting kicked out, she is just getting suspended."

"Suspended! You can't suspend her, she hates being suspended, she doesn't like heights and-"

Sikowitz looked at Cat and laughed, causing Cat to frown, she hated, more than anything when people laughed at her. "Not that kind of suspended you strange, _strange_ girl. Jade will be sent home and unable to attend Hollywood Arts for a week and then, she will be able to return."

"Can I be suspended too?" Cat asked, dreading a week without Jade.

Sikowitz laughed and shook his head. "No, now off to class with you! And me!" Looking down at his watch and realizing he was late, Sikowitz left Cat standing outside of Lane's office, feet unable to move as the door opened and Jade walked out, Lane close behind.

"I expect you to get your things from your locker and- Oh Cat, perfect, Jade's Mother informed me that you are staying with them, which works out perfectly as Miss West here will need someone to retrieve her homework from her classes at the end of the day and bring them to her." Cat nodded and Lane turned back to Jade, "As I was saying, get your things from your locker and head home, your Mother will be calling you from work in one hour to make sure you are there. I am sure she will have some strong words about this situation."

Jade let out a heavy sigh and made her way to her locker, swinging open the door decorated in scissors and angrily began to throw her books in her bag, not noticing Cat standing behind her until she closed her locker and turned around, "Jesus Cat, you scared me." Taking in Cat's appearance, her face stained with tears and cheek starting to turn a light shade of purple, with a few mixed in tones of blue and her one hand swollen and red. "What the fu-" Remembering Cat hates cursing, Jade changed her wording, her voice suspicious and concerned. "Cat what happened to your face? And your hand?"

Cat looked down to the ground and then at Jade as she readjusted her book bag on her shoulder, "I'm coming with you," she whispered and Jade could hear the tears Cat was trying to choke down. "And don't say I can't cause you can't stop me, I'm coming home with you."

"Tell me what happened!" Jade demanded as she stepped closer to Cat, using her thumb and forefinger to lift Cat's head and began to inspect the bruise a little closer.

Cat began to cry once more and threw herself against Jade, arms wrapping around her. Jade looked around to see if anyone was watching, although she was sure after everything that had just happened, her reputation at the school was not only intact, but a little rougher than even she wanted. Jade wrapped her arms around Cat's small frame and let the girl cry, until all she heard was small sniffling and Cat pulled back.

"She said it was my fault cause I told you and she- She slapped me!" Once again the tears flowed and Jade felt the anger bubble inside of her once again, she had half a mind to track down Tori once more before she left, but then Cat said something that shocked her. "And then she said horrible things about you and punched her and I- I don't even feel bad."

Jade started to laugh, despite trying to hold it in, "It's not funny!" Cat exclaimed, Jade now holding her ribs as the laughter kept coming.

"You punched someone? You punched Tori? You? Cat Valentine? The sweetest, most-" Jade shook her head, eyebrows raised as she pulled Cat into her. "Thank you," she whispered into Cat's hair. "No one's ever stood up for me like that," Jade admitted and Cat nodded.

"You'd do it for me," Cat said, "In fact, you have done it for me."

Jade just smiled and nodded her head, "I guess, we should go then, my Mom is gonna be so pissed."

* * *

**Hope you like the chapter. I will try and write up another one later today - Cat and Jade's day off/Cupcake baking maybe?**

**Let me know what you think, all your comments have been really sweet and very much appreciated.**

**Xoxo. **


	7. Quiet

_"If it wasn't for the fact that she really has no where else to go, Cat would be moving out." ... "Consider yourself lucky Jade. This kind of behaviour, well, it's too far. I am understanding when it comes to your attitude and general rudeness, but I will not tolerate fighting." ... "I don't care if she kissed Beck, it's no excuse to beat someone up!" ... "You're grounded, you can leave the house to drive Cat and your brother to and from school, but other than that you are on lockdown." ... "And Jade, I will be calling your Father to let him know about this little stunt of yours."_

The phone call ended with a click and Jade flopped down on the couch, burying her head in the pillow and letting the tears free. "This is all Tori's fault, why am I being punished, she got what was coming to her," Jade mumbled against the fabric.

Slowly, Cat approached her best friend and sank down to the floor next to the couch, "Jade?" Cat whispered, pushing the hair off of her best friend's face. "Jade, please don't be sad, I know being grounded sucks, but- But it could have been worse and Beck isn't worth your tears, you're so much better than him. You'll find someone else, someone who would never hurt you, ever. Someone who only wants you and loves you for all the things you are and all the things you aren't." Cat continued, before leaning in and pressing her lips to Jade's cheek. 'Like me,' she thought.

Jade stiffened under the weight of Cat's lips against her skin and as the girl's strawberry flavoured lip gloss filled her senses she remembered the night before and felt the same nervous, butterfly feeling in her stomach. Jade instantly flew off the couch. "Yeah- I, yeah sure, I'm gonna go shower," Jade said scrambling up the stairs, leaving Cat alone on the living room floor.

"But you-" Cat called after her, her sentence trailing into the lonely open air. "Just had one this morning," she whispered. Cat bit her lip and twisted her body around so she was no longer staring at the empty couch, instead letting her head fall back against the couch cushion, red hair splayed across black leather.

Jade closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower, she knew she didn't really need a second one, but she slipped out of her clothes and stepped in anyway, letting the water cascade around her body. _'Why did she just kiss me? We're close, but she's never done that before, unless last night.. No! That was not on purpose.'_ Jade wrapped her arms around her torso and closed her eyes. _'What the hell is going on with you Jade? Why are you questioning Cat's actions, this is Cat we're talking about, unpredictable, loving Cat.'  
_  
Downstairs, Cat remained seated on the floor, eyes fixated on the ceiling. _'She freaked out because I kissed her, didn't she?'_ She asked herself, as she recalled Jade's stiff demeanor. _'You can't keep doing this, you're her best friend, that's all you'll ever be.'_

Cat took one long breath and pushed herself off the floor, there was still 2 hours before they needed to pick up Jeremy from school and even though Cat was looking forward to baking cupcakes, she still wasn't sure what to do with her feelings for Jade. She couldn't tell her, she could never tell her and right then as she picked up her school bag and dropped it on to the floor next to the piano in the West family room, she promised herself, that she would do everything possible to make sure Jade never found out.

_'Maybe I can date Robbie, at least it will be a distraction,'_ Cat shuddered at the thought and pulled out her notebook, flipping to the page she'd been on earlier that morning, before all the chaos started. Before she'd hit Tori, before she'd scared Jade off. Looking down at the page, Cat sighed, she was turning into a liar. She hadn't been working on Sikowitz homework assignment, she wasn't really sure where to start with it anyways, she was however, writing a song about the one person she knew she'd never have.

Opening the fall board, Cat ran her fingers over the ivory keys and began to play. Her voice filling the spaces around her.

_**I'm not yours, and you're not mine**_  
_**But we can sit and pass the time**_  
_**No fighting wars, no ringing chimes,**_  
_**We're just feeling fine.**_

Jade was almost sure she heard Cat singing, so she flipped off the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. Careful not to make any noise, Jade tiptoed out of the bathroom and sat at the top of the stairs. Listening.

**_This is where we're supposed to be_**  
**_Sitting by a broken tree_**  
**_No tragedy, no poetry_**  
**_Just staring at the sky_**

"I've never heard this one before," Jade whispered to herself, "I thought I knew all of Cat's songs."

**_I could wait a thousand hours_**  
**_Stay the same in sun and showers_**  
**_Pick apart a hundred flowers_**  
**_Just to be quiet_**

_'Pick apart a hundred flowers'_ The lyrics ran threw Jade's head, _'Pick apart a hundred flowers.. Is she singing about-'_

**_Tell me when you feel ready_**  
**_I'm the one, there's not too many_**  
**_Hold my hand to keep me steady_**  
**_Just to be quiet_**  
**_With you_**

**_I like it here beside you dear_**  
**_You're even more than you appear_**  
**_And in the clouds my head is clear_**  
**_Every time you say hello_**

_'I like it here beside you dear- The bed is so much warmer with you beside me.'_ Jade shook the idea from her head. _'It's a coincidence, Cat could never be in love with someone like me. I'm night and she's day. I need to stop thinking like this.'_

**_So here's my heart, and here's my mouth_**  
**_And I can't help if things come out_**  
**_'Cause there are words I want to shout_**  
**_But maybe I'll stay low_**

As the song finished, Jade made her way from the top of the stairs and into her bedroom where she collapsed on her bed, memories of her and Cat turning like clockwork behind her eyes.

"..Maybe." Jade said out loud to no one.

* * *

**Okay, so this was a shorter chaper, but it is my second update today. I will get another chapter written up for all of you tomorrow, I promise. **

**The song I used was Quiet by Lights. **

**Let me know what you thought.**


	8. Cupcakes and Little Brothers

If Jade West and Cat Valentine had a son, he'd probably be just like Jade's little brother Jeremy.

Like Cat, Jeremy was tiny and very outgoing. He had Cat's personality, innocent, hyper and he often said things that most people didn't understand. He saw the world in a different light, the way Cat did, but like Jade he could, from time to time have a very dark sense of humour. Jeremy looked a lot like his big sister, he had the same eyes, same nose, even his lips were the same shape, although his face was a little rounder and his hair a shade lighter.

Standing in the kitchen, Jade leaned up against the stove and observed. Cat and Jeremy were covered in flour, as they measured out ingredients and dropped them into a large blue mixing bowl. The two of them laughing and talking about giraffes, kittens and other nonsense that Jade would never be caught dead talking about. Jade had seen the two of them together many times before, Cat often took a chunk of the time she spent at Jade's playing board games, tag or hide and seek with Jeremy, but this time was different.

Jade couldn't help but notice how patient and loving Cat was towards her little brother, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when she watched how well the two of them got along.

_'Beck would have never hung out with Jeremy,'_ Jade thought to herself and she was right. In all the time Jade and Beck dated, Beck never made the effort, not that Jade would have cared either way, to her Jeremy was a pain and the only time she really spent with him, she spent terrorizing the poor child.

As she stood and watched, Jade couldn't help the smile that crept up on her face. Snapped out of her daze when she heard Cat's laughter, Jade looked down to see Jeremy tapping his foot impatiently on the kitchen floor, two oversized oven mitts covering his hands, wide eyes staring up at her.

"What do you want germ," Jade said mockingly, she hated being stared at by Jeremy, it was weird to have a face that looked so much like her own peering at her the way he often did.

Jeremy scrunched up his face and pouted a little, the way she was almost sure Cat had taught him to do. "I'm not a germ!" Jeremy protested, "I'm trying to put our cupcakes in the oven, but your big butt is blocking it!"

"My butt is not big and you better watch yourself or I'm gonna throw you in the oven," Jade snipped back at him.

Jeremy just laughed, it was a higher pitched version of Jade's laugh and Jade sent him a scowl as she moved to the kitchen table and watched Cat hand him a two trays and he carefully set them on the shelf in the oven and closed the door.

"How many times does we have to cook these for?" Jeremy asked and just as Jade was about to correct him and tell him his sentence was all wrong, Cat walked over and hoisted the small boy into her arms so he could reach the timer above the stove a little better.

"Twenty-five minutes," Cat said, showing him how to count out the minutes. Cat put Jeremy back on the floor and they both clapped, flour clouds erupting from their hands. "So then we can decorate them?" He asked an excited and hopeful glint in his eyes.

"No dweeb," Jade called from the table. "They have to cool or the stupid icing will melt and they'll look ugly, like your sweater. What the hell are you wearing anyways?"

Jeremy looked down at his sweater, it was a little small at the sleeves and right around the middle, bright yellow with a green dinosaur on the front. "Dad gave it to me," he whispered, looking up at Cat to help him out.

"I think it's cute, Jade's just jealous she doesn't have one too," Cat said poking the dinosaur and eliciting a laugh from the small boy. "Why don't you go play for a bit while Jade and I clean up and I'll call you when it's time to decorate."

Jeremy nodded and shot Jade a look that could rival any that Jade might have shot back if he hadn't run from the room screaming as she promtly stood up from the table.

"You should be nicer to him you know," Cat said honestly as she pulled a cloth from the sink and began to wipe the counters down.

Jade gave Cat a pointed look and raised her eyebrows as she began to clear the bowls and measuring spoons, rinsing them and setting them in the dishwasher. "And tell me why I should do that?" Jade questioned as she flicked some excess water off of her hands and on to Cat.

Cat giggled and brushed the water from her face, turning around to face her best friend. "Because, he misses your Mom and your Dad and you're really all he has, since they aren't around much, besides he loves you," Cat said shrugging her shoulders.

"Does not!"

"Yes he does and stop making fun of his clothes, haven't you noticed they are all getting a little small on him? He's not like us Jade, he can't just go to the store and get his own, he needs an adult with him and your Mom's always so busy-"

"Yeah," Jade said sarcastically. "Busy staying away from here because she hates that my Dad left and she blames us kids for his stupid affair," Jade shook her head and looked down at the ground. She had noticed Jeremy's clothes getting smaller, but it didn't really faze her, she never thought twice about the fact that he was more dependent on their Mom that she had to be. "Maybe we can take him?"

"Take him? Jade that's kidnapping, even if he is your little brother we can't just take him!" Cat was in shock, she didn't want to go to prison again, the one they got stuck in, in Yerba was enough for one lifetime, at least Cat thought so.

Jade looked up and shook her head. "No Cat, not take him, take him. I meant take him to get some new clothes, he probably should stop walking around looking like a potato."

"Your brother is not a potato!"

"Yes he is, but that's not the point, I'll talk to my Mom, tomorrow or whenever she decides to show her face for more than 5 seconds, although we'll probably have to wait till' I'm not grounded anymore." Jade said with an exasperated sigh, "I can't believe she grounded me, she's never grounded me, what right does she-"

"Well, she is your Mom," Cat said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, well she picked a pretty shitty time to start acting like it." Jade finished putting the used dishes in the dishwasher and the two girls had managed to clean up all the flour and spilled ingredients, so Jade helped Cat find a few more mixing bowls and some food colouring, setting them next to the containers of icing on the counter.

Cat flipped on the radio that sat on the counter next to the fridge, turning up the volume. "I love this song," she said looking at Jade with a smile.

**_Sometimes I wake up with the sadness_**  
**_Other days it feels like madness_**  
**_Oh…what would I do without you?_**

"I hate slow songs."

"You always have an argument don't you," Cat said shaking her head. "Come here, I want to dance."

Before Jade had time to fight her off, Cat had grabbed hold of Jade's left hand, with her right and placed her free hand on Jade's hip.

"Just follow my lead," Cat whispered, staring up into Jade's eyes.

**_When colours turn to shades of grey_**  
**_With the weight of the world at the end of the day_**  
**_Oh…what would I do without you?_**

**_A decade goes by without a warning_**  
**_And there's still a kindness in your eyes_**  
**_Amidst the questions and the worries_**  
**_A peace of mind, always takes me by surprise._**

Cat twirled with Jade around the room, laying her head against Jade's chest, the two of them dancing like they had done this a million times.

_**I feel like I'm walking with eyes as blind**_  
_**As a man without a lantern in a coal mine**_  
_**Oh…what would I do without you?**_

_**My imagination gets the best of me**_  
_**And I'm trying to hide lost at sea**_  
_**Oh…what would I do without you?**_

Of course they had, danced together, many times actually, but never like this, never with Cat's body pressed against Jade's and there it was again, the feeling in the pit of Jade's stomach and to Cat's surprise, Jade began to quietly sing along.

"I thought you hated slow songs," Cat whispered and Jade just continued to sing.

_**The difference between what I've said and done**_  
_**And you're still standing by my side**_  
_**A guilty soul and a worried mind**_  
_**I will never make it, if I'm on my own**_

_**So you've got the morning, I've got midnight**_  
_**You are patient, I'm always on time**_  
_**Oh…what would I do without you?**_

_**You've got your sunshine, I've got rain clouds**_  
_**You've got hope, I've got my doubts**_

Cat was dreading what was coming next, the song was ending and she knew that, but she wanted it to last forever.

_**Oh…what would I do without you?**_  
_**Oh…what would I do without you?**_  
_**Oh…what would I do without you?**_

As the song ended, the two girl's stood in their positions without moving, only interrupted when the timer when off.

"I'll go get Jeremy," Jade said quickly, removing herself from Cat. "He can help you mix the icing while they cool," Jade's words were fast and nervous as she made a quick exit from the room, leaving Cat standing in the middle of the kitchen, heart pounding through her chest.

"What would I do without you, Jade?" Cat whispered to herself.

Cat, Jeremy and Jade stood in the kitchen, staring at 36 undecorated and freshly cooled cupcakes, somehow Jeremy and Cat had convinced Jade to help them. "Let's decorate!" Jeremy shouted, throwing a fist into the air and stepping onto a chair Cat put next to the counter for him.

Jeremy reached for the bright green icing and began to decorate the first cupcake, Cat watching and instructing as he went along. Once he no longer needed the help, Cat handed Jade a cupcake and grabbed one of her own, the three of them decorating until there was no more icing and no more_ 'naked cupcakes'_ as Cat called them.

The rest of the night went by fast, they made Jeremy spaghetti for dinner and the three of them ate together, before sending the boy upstairs for a bath and then to bed, somehow he had managed to convince Jade to let him stay up a whole half hour past his bedtime.

Jade flopped down on to the couch and flicked on the TV to some late-night talk show, smiling as Cat came out of the kitchen and held out a cupcake to her, she had secretly been hoping that they'd be able to munch on a couple once her brother had gone to sleep.

"I made this one especially for you," Cat said as she took a seat next to Jade and peeled the wrapper off her own cupcake. Jade looked down at the cupcake, it was pink with a red heart on top, _'J+C'_ written in the center of the heart.

"Thanks," Jade mumbled. "For everything, for telling me the truth, for standing up for me, for, just thanks." Jade kept her eyes on the TV, but she could feel Cat's smile and from the corner of her eye she saw Cat nod.

"I love you," Cat said as if the words weren't a big deal.

_'Why does she keep saying that and..'_ Jade didn't know what had come over her, but before she could stop herself, she leaned across the couch and pressed her lips to Cat's cheek. "Me too," she whispered as she pulled back and readjusted her position on the couch, laying her head in Cat's lap.

_'She kissed me! It was just the cheek but still, she kissed me!'_ Inside Cat was screaming, while on the outside she kept her demeanor calm and ran her finger's through Jade's hair.

The opening credits for the show began to start and the two girl's sang along quietly.

* * *

**This chapter was dedicated to: Cadelicous**

**Also, excuse me if it's not the best chapter, Ariana Grande followed me on twitter today, so I've kinda been flipping out and my mind is like mush, currently. dfhdsjfhdjskfh! - That's how I'm feeling. **

**Anyways, what did you think of this chapter and of Jade's little brother?**

**The song is called What Would I Do Without You by Drew Holcomb and The Neighbours. **

**Xo**


	9. Secrets and Lies

The last bell rang and Cat tore off through the school parking lot to Jade's waiting car. Jeremy tucked safely in the back seat, playing with his toy dinosaurs, Jade's waiting smile, as she opened the passenger side door and climbed in, tossing her school bag to the floor beneath her feet.

"Hey guys," Cat said as she bucked her seat belt and Jade started the car.

Jade took in Cat's appearance, her eyes were red and swollen, the way they got when Cat cried. "What's wrong?" Jade deadpanned, her voice serious.

Cat stared straight ahead, ignoring the question as she played with the radio, surfing until she found a song she liked. She could feel Jade's eyes on hers as they came to stop light and the car came to halt. "Cat, what's wrong?" Jade repeated, though she was sure she already knew.

"No one likes me, no one wanted to sit with me or talk to me," Cat admitted, picking at her nails and refusing to look at her best friend.

"I'm sorr-"

"Don't, don't say it, because you have nothing to be sorry for," Cat said, cutting off Jade's coming apology. "They were the one's that were mean, not you, you don't have to apologize for them."

"I'm not," Jade replied, "I'm not apologizing for them, I'm apologizing because I'm the reason that-"

"No!" Cat screamed, causing Jeremy to jump and Jade to look at her, shock written across her features. "Don't. You are not."

**-Earlier That Day-**

_"Hey Cat, I hope you aren't mad at-" _

_"Go away Beck." Cat said shutting her locker door and walking away._

_"Why don't you just admit you're happy we broke up, you've been hoping this would happen for a long time. That's why you told her about me and Tori isn't it? Cause you knew we'd break up." Beck called after her, causing Cat to freeze and turn to look at the boy who was now surrounded by Tori, Trina and André._

_"You don't know anything, I wouldn't purposly do anything to make Jade sad," Cat regarded with all seriousness. _

_"Beck man, what are you talking about?" André questioned, looking back and fourth between the two. _

_Beck laughed and Tori's eyebrows skyrocketed as she silently questioned her new boyfriend, her hand tangled with his, the way Jade's once was. "I found this up in the school attic," he said holding up a small pink diary, Cat's face going pale at the sight. "Should I read it to them Cat? Or do you want to-"_

_"Stop! Stop it!" Cat screamed, tears welling in her eyes as she watched Beck flip open the book that contained her every thought and every secret. _

_"Dear Diary," Beck began to read. "I really wish that Beck and Jade had stayed broken up, why did Tori have to get involved, I hate her so much sometimes. Is Jade ever going to love me back?"_

_Cat advanced on Beck, tearing the book from his hands as her group of friends stared at her and then burst out laughing. _

_"Oh my God, you're gay!" Tori managed to say through her laughter, Trina doubled over beside her making puking noises and André leaning up against the locker to stop himself from falling to the ground. _

_"That is so wrong Lil' Red," he managed to get out before Cat ran. _

The rest of the car ride home was silent. Minus a few songs Cat sang quietly to herself and the sound effects Jeremy was making for his dinosaurs. Really, Jade was the only one that remained silent for the drive.

When they got back to the house, Jade set Jeremy up at the kitchen table to do his homework and made her way upstairs where she found Cat, curled up on the bed, tears pouring from her eyes, leaving wet spots on the pillow she had her face buried in.

"Cat," Jade whispered as she climbed onto the bed and pulled Cat into her lap, Cat immediately burying her face in Jade's hair.

"They were so mean to me, Tori and Beck. Even Trina and André, Robbie was the only one who would talk to me." Cat cried, letting her emotions fall into Jade's hands and heart.

Jade gently stroked red velvet hair, making soothing sounds and hushing Cat's cries. "They're stupid," Jade said honestly. "They don't see you, they don't see how amazing you are, how perfect and-"

"Neither do you," Cat admitted as she ripped herself from Jade's arms and ran from the room, leaving Jade in a state of confusion as she heard the bathroom door slam shut.

Jade peeled herself from the bed and followed Cat's path, until she found herself standing outside the bathroom door, "Cat please open the door, don't do this, don't shut me out, please. Please," Jade begged as she tried to turn the knob on the door. Locked. "Cat please, please Cat. Please talk to me."

"No! Go away!" Cat screamed picking up a hairbrush and tossing it at the back of the door, the thud causing defeat and terror inside Jade that she had never felt before.

"Fine!" Jade yelled. "Fine, but don't say I didn't try!" Jade turned and made her way back down to the kitchen, where she found Jeremy staring at her, eyes wide and jaw slacked.

"What are you looking at? Do your homework," Jade spat, as she grabbed a coffee mug and poured herself a big cup.

"You are so stupid," Jeremy mumbled as he went back to the math equations that sat in front of him.

Jade looked up and instantly found herself standing in front of her little brother. "Excuse me?" She questioned angrily. "Say it again, I dare you."

Jeremy pulled his eyes from his school work and looked up at his sister. "I said you are stupid," his tone wasn't rude or mean, it was truthful and Jade just continued to stare at him, as he stood up on his chair so he was face to face with her, her eyes burning into his. "You're stupid like Dad, he walked away, he left even though Mom loved him." Jeremy was screaming now, something he rarely did because Jade scared him more than he was willing to admit. "Why can't you see it!?"

"See what!?" Jade screamed back.

Jeremy shook his head and jumped down, gathering his school work in his hands, "I'm doing my homework in my room." Jade grabbed her little brother by the arm as he tried to leave and turned him to face her, getting down on his level, her voice serious.

"See what Jeremy, what can't I see?" Jade was almost pleading with him now and Jeremy could see that, but he wasn't budging as he jerked his arm from his sister's grasp.

"If you don't know, I'm not telling you, you think you're so smart, figure it out."

For a kid, Jade thought, he was a lot braver than most of the people she knew, no one dared to talk to her the way he did, part of her was annoyed by this, part of her thought she had taught him well, but as she was left in the kitchen, all she felt was confused as she watched his small figure disappear from the room, the sound of his footsteps descending up the stairs.

Jade collapsed in the chair that Jeremy had previously been sitting at, head in her hands and coffee forgotten, her mind racing.

Jeremy looked up from his bed when he heard a small knock on the door, he knew it was Cat, Jade would never be polite enough to knock, actually she'd never be polite enough to run after him. He motioned for Cat to come in and silently she shut the door behind her.

"I heard you yelling at Jade, you shouldn't do that you know, it's not nice," Cat said, taking a seat on the end of the boys bed.

Jeremy crawled over closer to Cat and swung his legs over the side of the bed, so he was sitting the way Cat was. "Jade's never nice," he whispered, honesty laced through every syllable.

"That's not true," Cat said turning her head to look at the small boy. "She's nice to me and I've seen her be nice to you, she doesn't show her nice side the way some people do, but it doesn't mean she isn't nice."

Jeremy shook his head and stared at the floor. "But she doesn't see it."

"See what?" Cat replied, giving Jeremy a playful nudge so he knew she wasn't mad that he had yelled at Jade.

"That you love her and that she loves you, like Mommy's and Daddy's are supposed to love each other."

Caught off guard by his words Cat stood up and began to pace, "Jeremy, what do you mean?"

Jeremy sighed, finally looking up at his sister's best friend. "You two are in love, we learned all about love at school, maybe she doesn't see that she loves you, but even I can see that you love her. And I'm only eight."

Cat froze in her spot. _'Could he really see that I love her?'_ She questioned herself, "Jeremy, your sister and I are just-"

"Yeah, yeah, _best friend's_ so you guys keep saying, but I'm not stupid, I know what I know and I know what I see. Teenagers are so confusing, I hope I'm never one." Jeremy said with a slight hint of laughter in his voice. "I have homework," he mumbled, climbing back further on to the bed, eyes concentrated on his school work.

Cat stood, watching him curiously for a few moments before leaving his room and heading back to Jade's.

Back in Jade's room, Cat tore through all the hiding spots she could find until she found what she was looking for, Jade's diary. Like most of the things Jade owned, this to was black. A yellow butterfly on the front that matched the ones Jade had hanging in frames around her bedroom. Just as she started to open the book, but stopped herself. She knew how it felt to have all your secrets exposed and she couldn't do that to someone, especially not Jade. Cat heard footsteps coming up the stairs, so she shoved the book back in to the spot where she'd found it and flung herself on to the bed, crawling beneath the covers.

_'What did Jeremy mean? I know what I know and I know what I see,'_ Cat thought to herself, curiousity coursing through her ever fiber.

A few moments later Jeremy's bedroom door flew open and he didn't have to look up to know who it was.

"What do you want big butt?" He snickered, looking up to see Jade standing at the end of the bed.

Ignoring his remark Jade stared at her little brother, eyes squinted and hand on her hips. "Tell me now," Jade demanded.

"I already told you that you were stupid, what else is there to say?"

"Not that you germ, tell me what _I_ don't see, that _you_ apparently do," Jade's voice changed into something Jeremy had never heard before and it caught him off guard.

"Stop pretending you don't love her and be a big girl and tell her how you feel, now go away I have homework."

Jade didn't know what to say, so instead, she picked up a stuffed toy from the floor and hurled it at her brother, turning on her heel and storming out of the room and towards her bedroom.

"The truth now," Jade commanded from the door way, causing Cat to look up.

"About?" She asked innocently, watching Jade grow more impatient by the minute.

Jade, to be honest, wasn't really sure what she needed or wanted the truth about, but she simply continued to state the words over and over until she felt Cat starting to cave. "You have one more chance, tell me the truth now."

"I'm going on a date with Robbie." It was a flat out lie on Cat's part, but it just slipped out and she wasn't sure why, she didn't even like Robbie, she tolerated him because she liked Rex. And without Robbie, there was no Rex.

"Y-You- You're what?" Jade sputtered, hoping she hadn't heard her right. "Robbie? You're- When since- What the hell Cat!"

Cat stood up from the bed and walked to where Jade was standing, "I'm going on a date with Robbie, I have to get ready, so please move, I need to go have a shower."

Jade side stepped, she didn't feel like she had a choice, the look of determination on Cat's face was almost frightening.

"I hope you two have a _splendid_ time." Jade's voice was sarcastic, with a hint of something that Cat couldn't quite put her finger on. "Try not to get yourself ditched when a Northridge girl comes along?"

Cat's face scrunched and she whipped around to look at Jade. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jade just laughed and watched as Cat, furious with her friend's behavior, grabbed a towel and left the room. Jade reducing to tears, curled into a ball on the floor the moment she was gone.

"Dammit, why him." Jade cried, the words muffled, her face buried in her knees.

* * *

**Don't forget to review. **

**I love you all. **

**Xo**


	10. Jade's Spot

Cat left the house without saying goodbye to Jade, passing Jade's Mother who was pulling into the driveway. _'She's home early,'_ Cat thought to herself as she rounded the corner and pulled out her cell, dialing the number for the cab company.

The cab driver picked up Cat at the corner store a few blocks from Jade's house and Cat climbed into the back seat. "Beachwood drive, please, as far up as you can take me, I'll walk the rest of the way." The driver nodded, he knew exactly where she was going, there was only one reason anyone who didn't live North of Hollywood Blvd would go that way and offer to walk once they reached the turning point.

Cat paid the driver and smiled her thank you before taking the long walk to the top of Mount Lee, the lights of the Hollywood sign bright against her skin. Cat pulled a blanket from her bag and set it on the ground. She knew this was Jade's spot for when she needed space and she needed to think, but since Jade was at home, grounded, she figured it safe for her to use the spot while Jade wasn't.

Cat fell back against the blanket, pulling her sunglasses over her eyes as she stared up at the sky, her mind creating shapes with the clouds. She could see now why Jade loved it up there so much, it was peaceful and quiet and you could see all of LA, although it all looked so much tinier than it really was, it made Cat feel like, for once, she was bigger than the city.

Cat pulled her iPod from her sweater pocket and placed the buds of her headphones in her ears and pressed play, the music drowning out what little noise was left from the night breeze.

_**Stop the world**_  
_**Take a picture**_  
_**Take a minute**_  
_**'Cuz I missed ya**_  
_**Till this day**_  
_**Yeah, I can't believe**_  
_**You're right in front of my face**_  
_**You're right in front of my**_

Cat sang along, letting her voice ring out into the open air where no one would ever hear her.

_**Subconsciously**_  
_**In the night**_  
_**I dreamed of her**_  
_**And she came alive**_  
_**She's so sweet**_  
_**Hope she doesn't mind**_  
_**Eat up all of her time**_  
_**Eat up all of her**_

_**Hey, hey!**_  
_**Hope you enjoy your stay**_  
_**Feelin' good in the honeymoon stage**_  
_**You'll find me**_  
_**Ha, you'll find me**_

Thoughts of Jade clouded her mind and she held back the tears as she continued to sing.

**_When the sun goes down_**  
**_And the star lights up my night_**  
**_'Cuz she's around_**  
**_Don't wanna let this moment_**  
**_Go, whoa ho_**  
**_Go, whoa ho, ha_**  
**_But the question is_**  
**_Will it be here_**

"I love you Jade" .. "Me too" Cat shook the previous night's memory from her head.

**_Forever, forever-ever, forever-ever?_**  
**_Ay, will it be here…_**  
**_Forever, forever-ever, forever-ever?_**

"I'll be your best forever" .. "Promise?" .. "I promise." Images of herself and Jade in grade school swam behind her eyes and the tears began to prick at the corners.

**Speeding through life**  
**Race cars**  
**Fighting everyday**  
**Battle scars**  
**Ha, yeah battle scars**  
**But they always heal**  
**With a little love**

Cat took a deep breath as the song finished and she sat up, pulling the headphones from her ears and tossing the iPod aside before scrambling to find her notebook and pen as inspiration hit.

"I have the perfect idea for my monologue." Cat whispered to herself as her pen furiously danced against blank pages, filling one after another in no time at all.

* * *

**Thank you all for the reviews, I know this chapter is short, my apologies. **

**Xo**


	11. TheSlap

Jade heard her Mother come in shortly after she heard Cat leave, but she couldn't be bothered to go down and talk to her, so instead Jade pulled her laptop from her desk and settled on the floor next to her bed. She signed into TheSlap only to see that Beck and Tori had both already changed their statuses to _'In a Relationship'_ and Jade quickly changed hers to _'Single'_ not wanting to be that girl, the one that couldn't let go of the boy she once loved.

As she scrolled through her classmates status' and replies, her worry about Cat's behavior earlier in the day began to increase.

**Sinjin:** Is the rumour about Cat Valentine true? Did not see that coming!

**Beck:** Yup, it's true, it was all there in writing

**Tori:** I saw it! It's true!

**Trina:** Isn't it gross? I feel bad for her, she's never going to have a normal life

**Tori:** Since when was Cat Normal?

**André:** Tori's got point, but still maybe Beck shouldn't have read it out loud to everyone? I feel a little bad for her.

**Robbie:** I saw her crying in the girl's bathroom

**Tori:** Robbie, stay out of the boys bathroom

**Rex:** He can't it's the one he's supposed to use

**Robbie:** Rex!

Jade kept scrolling, she didn't know what the rumour was or what Beck had read out loud to make Cat so upset, but one way or another she was going to find out. Jade pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Beck's number, but no one picked up and Jade thought that maybe finding out was going to be harder than she anticipated, after all, she was sure no one wanted to speak too her after what had gone down just days before.

Jade quickly typed her own status, hoping that someone would see it and give her the answers she was looking for, although she wasn't holding her breath.

**Jade:** What the hell happened to Cat at school?

Faster than she anticipated the replies began to roll in, but none of them giving her what she wanted.

**André:** Maybe you'd know if you weren't such a gank

**Beck:** Figure it out or do what I did read her diary

**Jade:** Why the hell would you read her diary and how the hell did you get your hands on it

**Tori:** He found it in the attic at school

**Jade:** Shut up, no one was talking to you

**Tori:** That's no way to get the information you want now is it

**Trina:** Stay away from my baby sister!

**Tori:** Trina! I am not a baby!

**Robbie:** I really think you should talk to Cat, please tell her I'm here for her no matter what

When Robbie's response came in, Jade was first hit with jealousy, she hated that Cat was dating Robbie, but then she realized something. If Robbie was on TheSlap, that meant he wasn't with Cat and Cat had lied to her. Something she though Cat would never do.

**Jade:** Does anyone know where Cat is?

**Tori:** No

**Robbie:** I wish

**Rex:** Probably still crying in the bathroom

**André:** Haven't seen her since school started

Jade slammed the lid of her laptop closed, she was furious, although she didn't know who with. Part of her was mad at Cat, the other part mad at Beck for doing whatever it was he did to make Cat cry.

Bracing herself for the worst, Jade made her way downstairs, where she found her Mother going over some paperwork she had brought home from her Job, "Mom, can I go out, it's important."

"You're grounded, that means you aren't allowed to leave the house or did you forget that?" Catherine said not looking up at her daughter.

Jade was growing impatient. "No, I didn't but something's wrong with Cat and I need to go look for her and-"

"Is she lost?"

"Well not that I-" Jade began to say, before once again she was cut off by her Mother.

"Then no, you may not, but if you're looking for something to do, you can empty the dishwasher."

Jade huffed and shot her Mother a glare before turning around and stomping back up stairs. _'What is going on? What isn't Cat telling me?'_ Jade wondered as she let herself fall on to her bed, her eyes tracing the patterns on the ceiling as she made herself a promise to stay awake until Cat returned home.

* * *

**Here's a second chapter for today, because I know they are both fairly short when compared to the others. **

**Let me know what you think? **

**What do you want to see happen?**

**Xo**


	12. Caught in a Lie

"You lied," Jade said in a sharp tone, looking up as Cat emerged through the bedroom door shortly before curfew.

Surprised that Jade was still up, Cat she dropped her bag to the floor and walked over to the bed, taking a seat beside her. "About what?" She asked her mind reeling, Cat knew she'd lied to Jade, about a few things actually, the question now stood at which time Jade was referring to.

"You lied," Jade said again, her tone accusing. "You told me you were going on a date with Robbie."

Cat looked down at the bedspread and nodded, "I did, we went for sushi and then-"

"Stop lying to me Cat!" Jade shouted, surprised at how easily the lies were rolling off of Cat's tongue, Jade pushed herself from the bed and away from Cat.

"I'm not!" Cat shouted back as she realized she'd truly been caught. A small piece of her hoping she could cover it up regardless.

Jade grabbed her laptop and tossed it to the now empty spot next to Cat, causing the girl to jump. "You didn't?" Jade laughed. "Really? Then tell me why Robbie has been on TheSlap all night? Or why he hadn't seen you since this morning? And after you finish coming up with some kind of excuse for that, why don't you tell me what really happened at school today and not some bullshit story like you fed me earlier."

Cat's eyes widened and she sputtered her words as the tears sprang from her eyes, "I- I don't know what you're-"

"Stop! Stop lying to me Cat!" Jade threw her arms in the air as her voice got louder, not caring that the other occupants of the house were sleeping. "What the hell is going on with you? It's all over TheSlap, everyone is talking about some rumour going around about you, Cat seriously, what did Beck read out of your diary in front of everyone, no one will tell me anything. What did he read out loud to make you spend your day in the bathroom crying? We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but I will find out one way or another, so you better just tell me. This isn't funny Cat."

"I'm not laughing," Cat deadpanned, refusing to look up at her best friend, afraid that Jade would see the terror in her eyes.

"Well good, cause neither am I, why are you lying to me, we don't do that, we don't lie to each other or did you forget that?"

Cat sighed and got off the bed, walking over to where Jade was standing, her body shaking. "Jade I-"

"The truth," Jade whispered, resignation in her voice. "Please, please stop shutting me out."

Cat shook her head, "I can't, I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because you'll hate me." The tears began to roll down Cat's cheeks and Jade stepped forward, placing a hand on Cat's face, her thumb wiping away the moisture.

"I wouldn't, I couldn't. Cat you're scaring me, why can't you just talk to me." Cat stepped back and walked around Jade to the dresser, pulling out her pajamas and stripping out of her clothes, Jade doing her best not to stare at the half-undressed body that haunted her worst nightmares and brought love to the sweetest of dreams.

"I can't okay, please Jade, I can't!" Cat's voice was serious and hard, "I don't know what to say, but when I do, I'll tell you, don't be mad, I just, I can't okay?"

Jade shook her head and grabbed her pillow from the bed, "I'm sleeping on the couch."

As Jade made her way towards the door, Cat collapsed in a pile of limbs on the floor, her body curling into a ball as she shook back and fourth, body wracking with sobs that made Jade's heart break and as fast as her feet could carry her, Jade found herself on the floor beside the broken girl, arms wrapped securely around her as she pulled Cat on to her lap.

"Cat, shh, please don't cry, please, I'm sorry I yelled and-"

"I want to tell you," Cat cried, "I do, but I can't not right now, I will, soon."

Jade nodded and carried Cat to the bed, helping her into her pajamas and tucking her in safely beneath the covers. "Go to sleep okay, whatever it is, it will look better in the morning. I promise."

"Please don't go, please Jade. I- I need you so bad."

Jade climbed into the bed next to Cat, Cat tangling herself with Jade the moment she did.

"Cat, you're my best friend and I just need you to be happy, I need you come to me when something's wrong because I can't protect you if I don't know," Jade leaned her head down and pressed her lips to the top of Cat's head. "I'll never hate you, I love you too much," she admitted.

"I love you too much, too. That's the problem," Cat whispered back as the tears and exhaustion of the day's events lulled her into a restless sleep.

"The problem? Cat what do you mean?" Jade asked. "Cat?" Jade let out a ragged breath when she realized Cat had fallen asleep and she still had no real answers as to what was had been happening.

The rest of the weekend passed slowly and both Jeremy and Catherine could see the tension between the two best friends, Cat spent most of it sleep and Jade spent most of it watching her and worrying. There was an invisible wall between the two, they never got to close, Cat submerged in her own world and Jade in one completely separate. They barely spoke to each other, Cat barely speaking at all to anyone.

Yet Saturday night and Sunday night they ended up the same way, tangled together in Jade's bed with Cat crying into her chest and Jade whispering soothing words until the girl against her finally succumbed to sleep.


	13. Cat's Monologue

On Monday morning as Jade pulled up to Hollywood Arts and Cat climbed out of the car, Jade felt a pang in her heart. She didn't want to let Cat go in, she still hadn't made any progress with Cat in finding out what happened at school the previous Friday and the fact that Cat felt so alone, killed her. _'How am I supposed to protect someone who won't let me?'_ Jade questioned in her mind as she watched Cat leave.

"Cat, wait," Jade shouted as she got out of the car and ran over to Cat. "Listen, I know you don't want to tell me what happened, but if you need to come home, call me okay? I will come, right away, no questions asked, I just- Cat I need to know you're okay."

Cat nodded wordlessly and Jade remained frozen in her spot as Cat disappeared through the front doors of the school.

"Good morning Class!" Sikowitz cheered as her climbed through the window of his classroom, none of his students alarmed by the entrance.

"Today! Today is the day we start our monologues and there is just one thing I want you all to remember. _'Theater is life, film is art, TV is furniture'_" Sikowitz said as he wrote the words across the whiteboard. "That is why," Sikowitz announced as Sinjin made his way into the room, "Sinjin will be recording your monologues, I will get a copy, as will you and you will be graded on not only the quality of your monologue, but the quality of how it looks on film. Stage presence is key, my young pupils."

The student groaned and Sikowitz shot them all a look. "You children are so boring, this will be fun. So much fun, fun like the visions I had of reindeer and caterpillars I had last night after drinking from a coconut I found- Ooh look what I found," Sikowitz said bending down behind his desk and pulling out a coconut covered in dust.

"Uh, do you think that's safe to drink, it looks like it's been there a while," Tori said with disgust in her voice as the students watched their teacher puncture a whole into the top and insert a straw.

"Nonsense young Tori, coconuts are the fruit of the earth, they never go bad. Alright now, who is up first, ah yes!" Sikowitz said looking up from his clipboard. "Young Cat Valentine." Sikowitz said looking around the room, to find Cat in an unusual spot. "Cat would you like to tell me why you are sitting over there, alone, in a corner?"

Cat shook her head no and stood up from her spot, the eyes of all the students burning through her.

"Alright then, will you please make your way to the stage, Sinjin please set up."

"Cat?" There was no answer on the other end and Jade quickly grabbed her keys and raced from the house, phone still pressed to her ear. "I'm on my way okay?"

Cat mumbled an incoherent thank you, before hanging up the phone and making her way through the school to the tech room. "Do you have it?"

Sinjin looked up and handed Cat a disc. "It was good," he said with a nod.

Cat said nothing as she slipped the DVD in to her bag and left, making her way through the school to the parking lot, where Jade was waiting.

"There you are," Jade said in an exasperated breath. "You had me worried, are you okay? Come on let's go home."

Cat shook her head and Jade looked at her, confused. "Wait, you didn't call me so I could come get you? I thought-"

"You said you wanted to know what happened on Friday right? You said you wanted the truth" Cat looked up, her eyes searching as she fished the DVD from Sinjin back out of her bag and handed it to Jade. "It's all there, everything. The whole truth."

Jade looked at the disc and then at Cat. "Are you sure you don't want to come-"

"If you hate me after you watch it, don't come pick me up, I'll find somewhere else to live, I just thought that this maybe, I just. Just watch it okay?" Cat said taking a step towards Jade and wrapping her arms around her, Jade's coming up and lopping themselves around Cat's waist.

The two stood in the parking lot, embraced in their hug until Cat made the move to end it. "I won't hate you Cat, but why can't you just-"

"Just watch it," Cat said her face blank and voice monotone.

"Okay, but Cat," Jade said, not caring what the disc contained. "I could never-"

"Just watch it, don't promise me anything or say anything you might have to take back, I have to get to class, bye Jade."

"Bye Cat," Jade whispered, but it was to late, Cat was gone.

Jade flopped down on to her bed and flipped open her lap top, quickly inserting the DVD and pressing play, her curiosity about to explode from within her as she watched it load.

The screen went from blank to black, until a spotlight hit a girl sitting on a stool in the middle of the stage.

"Cat," Jade breathed as the DVD played.

_"They hate me, I didn't mean for them to but they hate me. He read my words out loud, my private, secret words. He read them for everyone to hear and they all laughed. People say that rumours blow over, but what if the rumour is true and it is. I love her and if that makes me, what's the word they used, oh. Gay. Then I guess that's what I am. I know it's wrong, I am reminded of that every time I get shoved into a locker or tripped. Or every time someone laughs and recites the words that he read out loud, but he was wrong in the way he handled it, he was wrong in what he said. I wasn't happy to see her without him, because I know he made her happy, but I was jealous, because he doesn't know her the way I do."_

_Cat stood up off the stool and crossed to stage left, looking out above the crowd._

_"She is guarded and she has walls, but that doesn't mean harsh words don't hurt her. They call her things like gank and when they do, my heart breaks for her, because I know on the inside, though she'd never admit, that those things break her down."_

_Cat looked down and then back up, a shaking hand running through red velvet hair as she took a long breath._

_"They tell me I'm gross and I'm never going to have a normal life. They tell me she will never love me back, but I know this, I know she won't, she can't because she isn't what I am. She loves boys, even though the one that she loved treated her in a way, that I never would."_

_Crossing to stage right Cat took a seat on the floor and brought her knees up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, as if without the hold, she would fall apart._

_"She's my best friend, she has been for as long as I can remember, she holds me together when I fall apart, but people don't see her in the light that I do. I've seen her laugh, cry and smile. I've seen her be playful and bashful and fun, but I've also seen her break and scream and fall apart. We made a promise of forever and it's been nearly eleven years and she's kept it, the way she said she would, I bet people would be surprised by that. I remember the day we met, she was swinging and I was too, but a bigger boy pushed me off and I cried as the blood poured from my knee and she quickly jumped to my defense, punching him and kissing my cheek until I calmed down enough to realize it was just a scrape and I wasn't going to die."_

_The tears were formed, you could see them clear like diamonds in the corner of her eyes as she spoke. _

_"Some days, I feel like my world is over, like no one understands, but when the days are dark, she lights a fire within me and I feel safe and I feel happy. I don't know when the feelings changed, from friendship to love, all I know is that they did. I've tried to push them away, down deep within, but at night, when she thinks I'm sleeping, I press my lips to her neck and breathe her in. It's my secret and now it's exposed, because of spite. He had no right to expose me like that, when all I did was tell the truth, but I guess, that's all he was doing too."_

_Cat stretched and stood up, taking her place back on the stool. _

_"My name is Cat Valentine and I'm in love with my best friend. This is my truth and this is my heart, exposed in front of the people that have pushed me down."_

Jade sat, unable to move, tears pouring from her own eyes as the screen once again went blank.

"...Cat."


	14. Fireworks

**Before you read this chapter: **

**I apologize that it is fairly short, but I was thinking, ****_'short & sweet'_**** - I will be posting another short chapter tomorrow and a lengthy one on Valentine's day, after all, it's Cat's day. **

**Please review and let me know what you think, as well anything you would like to see happen.**

**You guys have been so great. **

**Xo**

* * *

Jade continued to stare at the now blank screen of her laptop, unable to comprehend fully what she had just watched, had Cat just confessed her love for her? Had she just admitted that the kiss Jade had felt on her neck, was more that just an accidental brush of the lips?

Taking in an uneven breath, Jade palmed at her eyes, her eyeliner smearing under the weight of her tears before a shaking hand reached out and pressed play once more.

And again.

One more time.

Another.

Jade hit repeat, letting the scene play out before her for hours, she'd lost count as to how many times she watched it, she'd lost track of the time she'd spent and she couldn't count how many tears had fallen.

_'She loves me, she really, she..'_ Jade closed her laptop and grabbed her car keys, running down the stairs, out the front door and to her car, with Cat's confession ringing in her ears.

Jade pulled sharply into the Hollywood Arts parking lot, her mind buzzing as her eyes scanned the crowd of students until a flash of red caught her eyes. As much as Jade wanted to say something right then and there, she couldn't bring herself to, the moment didn't feel right. So as Cat approached the car, Jade just motioned for her to get in.

"Hey, sorry if I'm a little late, got distracted, one of Jeremy's friends parents called, Jeremy is going over to there place after school," Jade hadn't lied, well, not completely, sure that wasn't the reason she was a few minutes late, but she had gotten a phone call about Jeremy, it just so happened that the phone call took place in the morning.

"Jade did-" Cat started as she buckled her seat belt, her sentence faltering as she decided against asking and instead chose to stare blankly out the window. _'She'd say something if she wanted too,'_ she scolded herself internally.

Jade was smirking on the inside, she knew it was probably killing Cat to know the answer to the question she'd stopped herself from asking, but Jade kept a straight face on the outside as she turned the key over in the engine and headed back home, the radio filling the tense space between them.

Cat walked quickly, leaving Jade to trail behind, watching, as Cat made her way inside and up the stairs to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her only to have it thrown open seconds later. Cat didn't have to turn around to know it was Jade, they were the only two home, so Cat continued to busy herself, unable to see the hunger and lust that Jade was staring at her with.

Noticing the laptop and the empty case that once held the DVD laying beside it, Cat felt her stomach start to knot and her head start to spin.

"You watched-" The words came out strangled and unsure, but before Cat could finish her sentence she was cut off by a pair of lips fighting against her own as Jade grabbed her by the waist and pushed her against the dresser.

Cat wasn't sure if it was her heart or Jade's that she could feel beating so strong, but she didn't care as she let her tongue trace Jade's bottom lip asking for permission, permission that was granted without haste, a low rumbled moan eliciting from Cat's throat as Jade tangled her fingers in her hair and deepened their kiss.

_'Fireworks,'_ Cat's thought as she balled the fabric of Jade's shirt in her fist.

_'Fireworks,'_ Jade's mind screamed.

As if it was some sort of force, both girls pulled away at the same time, panting heavily, foreheads pushed together as they searched each other's eyes for answers to questions they didn't dare speak out loud.

"You're crying," Cat whispered, breaking the long silence as she used her forefinger to wipe a tear forming at the corner of Jade's right eye.

Mirroring Cat Jade wiped a tear from Cat's left eye and nodded. "So are you," she whispered back.

Jade took Cat by the hand and led her over to the bed, tangling herself with the smaller girl, she knew that this was something that was going to have to be taken slow, unlike the relationship she had with Beck.

"Cat I-"

Cat shook her head and pressed her lips to Jade's once more in a short chaste kiss. "Me first, please," Cat said, her voice begging and Jade complying with a nod. "I wanted to tell you, I- Jade I didn't know how and that, whatever that was, whatever this is," Cat said motioning between them. "I hope you want it and I mean really want it. I love you more than I love cupcakes or giraffes, more than I will ever love anyone or anything in this world, but if you don't love me too, if you don't want this, please just tell me, because I can handle it, I just need to know before I fall any harder with no one to catch me."

Jade smiled and cocked her head to the side, "I'll catch you," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat with an honest struggle. "I- Cat, for months now, all I've wanted is you, I don't really know when it started, but when Beck and I broke up, I waited and nothing happened, so I thought you didn't-"

"I did." Cat interrupted, causing Jade to smile.

"I know, I'm sorry I didn't wait longer," she admitted, as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down. "Cat, I love you and I don't really know what else to say other than I love you, I think I'm sort of still in a state of shock, but the good kind, I just don't want right now to end."

Cat smiled, her eyes filling with tears once again as she nodded her understand and curled herself further into Jade, her face pressed into the taller girl's neck as she placed tiny wet kisses across Jade's collarbone.

"Cat?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	15. A Scavenger Hunt

The last couple days had been a blur for Cat and Jade. They spent their time together curled up watching movies and stealing glances and chaste kisses, they'd have long conversations about topics they'd not dared to discuss before and they worried together what would happen once Jade went back to school and how they would tell people, but today was Valentine's Day or as Cat liked to call it, her day and Jade wanted to make it special.

As Cat made her way downstairs, her eyes searched every corner of the room for Jade, she was supposed to be at school an hour ago and she couldn't figure out why Jade hadn't woken her when their alarm went off. As she crossed the threshold from the living room to the kitchen, Cat's eyes found a large bouquet of flowers, a folded piece of paper with her name taped to it. A huge smile grazed Cat's face as she opened the note and read it to herself.

_Dear Cat,_

_Happy Valentine's Day. Since it's your day, I didn't think you'd want to go to school, I can't tell you where I am or that would ruin everything, instead, you'll have to find me. This is your first clue:_

_Your hair wasn't red, _  
_Your feelings were blue, _  
_It's the place where we met, _  
_The first time I kissed you._

_Love, Jade._

_P.S. I've hired someone to help you get around today._

Cat let out a laugh as she ran upstairs to change, she knew exactly where her first clue was taking her.

It took Cat all of a half hour to pick out the perfect Valentine's scavenger hunt outfit and after slipping into a pair of red jeans and a white ruffled top, she threw on a pair of converse and grabbed her purse, her eyes wide as she left the house to find Robbie leaning against the car he bought after getting so much flack about his bicycle car. Cat did her best not to laugh when she noticed Robbie was dressed as a chauffer, probably at Jade's request.

"Hey," Robbie said running a hand threw his hair, he felt guilty about everything that had been happening to Cat, sure he was a little jealous that Cat was never going to be his, but at the end of the day, he just wanted to see Cat smile. "Do you know where we're headed?"

Cat nodded and climbed into the car, thanking Robbie for holding the door open for her as she got in. "Yes, the elementary school Jade and I met at," she said, not having to give Robbie directions because they had all attended the school together.

"Hey Cat, I'm really sorry about-"

"You didn't do anything and today is a special day, I don't want to be sad, so can we talk about this another time?" Cat said honestly and Robbie obliged, handing Cat a rose.

"It's yellow, it means friendship, I didn't want to show up empty handed," he said and Cat smiled before leaning across the console of the car and giving Robbie a small kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you."

It didn't take long to get to the school, it was only a few blocks from where Jade lived, going the opposite direction of Hollywood Arts. Robbie pulled into the school parking lot and quickly got out opening Cat's door once more. "I'll wait here, good luck," he said tipping his hat, the two of them sharing a laugh before Jade took off through the school yard and straight to the swing set.

Sure enough, there was another piece of paper attached to one of the swings and Cat ripped it open, eager to find out what this clue contained.

_Dear Cat,_

_Congratulations, you've found the next clue!_

_The day we both knew we wanted to be stars, we walked down the street and decided where we'd want our names, side by side, in front of your favourite treat._

_Love, Jade_

_P.S. If Robbie isn't dressed like a chauffer, he's dead meat!_

Cat laughed at the last part of the note, but was having a hard time deciphering the clue, so she headed back to the car and showed it to Robbie who nodded his head, he'd been given the list of places the clue led to, but given instructions not to tell. Cat had to figure it out.

"Well, where did you want your name if you were a star?" Robbie said, trying to help and knowing he had when Cat's eyes lit up.

"The Hollywood Walk of Fame, we wanted our names in front of the small ice cream shop, they sold my favourite flavour and Jade's," Cat said, sure that she was right.

Robbie and Cat drove down the Walk of Fame, until Cat pointed to a small shop squished between two larger stores, Robbie had never even noticed it was there before. He pulled over and got out, helping Cat and locking the car, "I have strict instructions not to let you wander downtown LA by yourself, I'm supposed to tag along. Hope you don't mind."

Cat shook her head, of course she didn't mind. She and Robbie made idle chatter as they walked, both stopping to look at certain stars on the way, Cat's smile faltering when they got in front of the shop. "It's not here," she said, her eyebrows scrunched together, as she pointed at the empty sidewalk. "This was where we wanted out names but there's no clue."

Quickly, Cat dug in her pocket and pulled out the clue reading it one more time.

The day we both knew we wanted to be stars, we walked down the street and decided where we'd want our names, side by side, in front of your favourite treat.

Cat whipped around and smiled. "Of course, in front of our favourite treat!"

Taped to the large picture of an ice cream cone on the storefront window was a piece of paper.

_Dear Cat,_

_Go inside, get an ice cream. One for you and one for Robbie, (I'm feeling generous) they are already paid for. Here's your next clue:_

_When we got into Hollywood Arts, you decided to make a change._

_Love, Jade._

Cat silently handed the paper to Robbie and motioned for him to come inside with her. For a small shop, Robbie had never seen so many choices for ice cream, but he quickly decided on a butter pecan flavour and after he showed the lady Cat's clue, she handed him a double scoop with a waffle cone and turned to Cat who opened her mouth to order, but was cut off when the lady handed her exactly what she wanted.

"You're friend told me that this was what you'd want, red velvet, double scoop in a waffle cone." The lady winked at Cat and all of a sudden the clue she'd found on the window made more sense.

"Robbie, we have to go to Salon Eleven, they are on 11th Street, that's where I got my hair dyed the first time, red velvet," she laughed as she stuck out her tongue and licked the top of her ice cream.

"Well then, that's where we shall go," Robbie said in a fake accent that caused a bubble of laughter from Cat.

The bell above the door to the salon chimed and a man looked up over the desk. "Well, well, look who it is, Cat Valentine still rocking the red!"

"Jarrod!" Cat exclaimed, as she ran over and hugged the eccentric looking man.

"I suppose you came for this?" He said pulling a clue from his back pocket and handing it to Cat. "I always knew you and the Evil-Glamour queen would eventually hook up," he shot Cat a wink and laughed. "Now Honey, I have got to get back to work, but come visit soon, okay?"

Cat nodded and watched Jarrod return to his work before ripping open the next envelope.

_Dear Cat,_

_You're doing great so far, hope your ice cream was delicious. There is only one more clue after this one to find and then you will find me._

_The day I knew my feelings had changed, we were here. I bought you Mr. Purple that day from the gift shop. The way your eyes sparkled, caused something inside me to ignite._

_Love, Jade_

_P.S. You can take some time to look around_

This clue was easy, Cat would never forget where she got Mr. Purple.

"Robbie, we have to go to the LA Zoo!" Cat exclaimed, jumping up and down, he hands clapping wildly. "She said we can look around too!"

Robbie smiled and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out two admission tickets to the zoo and holding them out to Cat who was squealing in excitement.

It took them a couple to get through the zoo to the Giraffe's, after stopping to look at the monkey's and elephants and various other creatures, both Cat and Robbie taking an opportunity to feel the different animals and snap a few photos. Robbie cautiously checking his watch and directing Cat, who figured they were on a time limit that Robbie was well aware of.

"Robbie," Cat said when they got to the Giraffe exhibit. "How am I going to find my clue? There's so many people and so many signs," Cat looked around, her eyebrows furrowed and Robbie shrugged, Jade hadn't told him where exactly this clue was.

"I don't know-" Robbie started before he was cut off by a man wearing a Zookeepers uniform.

"Excuse me, you are Cat Valentine?" He asked causing Cat to jump back slightly, using Robbie to shield herself from the strange man.

"How do you know my name?" Cat asked, he voice a little shaken.

"I was shown your picture, told to keep my eye out for you and give you this," the man held out Cat's last clue and she smiled, leaping forward and snatching it from his hand.

"Thank you, I wasn't sure how I was going to find it here," she mumbled as she let her eyes scan the words on the paper.

_Dear Cat,_

_Hope the dude didn't scare you, just wanted to make sure you got your clue, that place is huge! Hope you had fun at the zoo, here's your next clue:_

_Today is Valentine's Day, it's a day for those in love. So find the big red heart and remember, 'Ti Amo' and spaghetti._

_Love, Jade_

_P.S. Hurry!_

Cat looked up at Robbie and smiled, though he just stared down at the clue confusion written on his features. "Does that seriously make sense to you?" He questioned and Cat nodded.

"My favourite place to get spaghetti is an Italian restaurant called Osteria Mozza, every Valentine's Day they have a giant red heart on the top of the restaurant, I point it out to Jade every year." Cat said matter-of-factly, a smile of satisfaction on her face.

They pulled up to the restaurant and sure enough, there was a giant red heart on the roof and as Cat went to get out, Robbie stopped her. "Hold on, you have to change, you can't go into a fancy restaurant in that," he said motioning to Cat's jeans. "Here, Jade said to give you this, you can get changed in the back, I'll wait outside, tap on the window when you want out."

Robbie helped Cat out of the car one final time, his eyes wide when he took in the sight before him. Cat was in a red sequin cocktail dress, a pair of heels that made her just slightly taller and she had done her make-up accordingly, something Robbie was always curious about. _'How do girl's do there make-up so nice without a mirror?'_ She'd taken her hair out of the bun it had been in previously and it now fell in long waves around her face.

"What do you think?" Cat said nervously, spinning in a circle so that Robbie could see.

Robbie nodded and let out a satisfied sigh of approval. "You look beautiful Cat, I'm sure Jade will think so as well. You better get going, I'm sure she's waiting. And Cat, remember, I'm always on your side okay?"

Cat knew what Robbie was referring to and she enveloped him in a hug, whispering her thanks in his ear and taking off inside the restaurant, casting her friend one last glance.

* * *

**Will post the second part later in the day. **

**Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!**

**Xo.**


	16. Dinner and Dancing

The waitress brought Cat to a private area of the restaurant and pointed to the door. "She's through there, she's been waiting and anxious," she said giving Cat a wink and nudge, before turning and walking back to the front to wait on the other couples arriving.

A shaking hand gripped the door handle and pushed open the door, Cat's breath catching at what was in front of her. A circular table was set up in the corner of the room, a white table cloth draped over it, with two plates of spaghetti, candles and two wine glasses filled with non-alcoholic champagne, perfect for two underage girls. There was a desert cart off to the side, pushed against one wall and music playing softly in the dimly lit room.

Standing in the middle of the room, staring back at Cat was the most beautiful person she knew, Jade was wearing a black cocktail dress similar to the red one Cat was wearing, a pair of red pumps on her feet. Her hair was curled and pinned to one side, falling loosely over one shoulder.

"Wow," Cat whispered as she took a few steps until she was standing directly in front of Jade.

"You made it and you look, wow Cat, you look beautiful," Jade said reaching out and pushing back Cat's bangs that had fallen in front of her eyes.

"So do you, Jade this is amazing, thank you," Cat said ducking her head to hide the blush she could feel creeping to her cheeks. "The scavenger hunt was really fun."

Jade laughed and laced her fingers through Cat's and led her over to the table, pulling out Cat's chair and then making her way to her own. The two sat in silence for a while, staring at each other, seeing the other in a light they never had before.

"Happy Valentine's Day Cat."

"Happy Valentine's Day Jade."

"So, tell me about your day?" Jade asked as she passed the cheese to Cat after sprinkling some over of her own meal.

Cat immediately sprang into her story and Jade nodded and smiled, laughing at appropriate times, a smile wide across her face as she listened to how well her plan had panned out.

"Remind me to do something nice for Robbie or at least not be so mean to him," Jade said with a sincere laugh as Cat told her how nice he had been and about what he had said, about always being there for her.

By the time Cat finished her story and Jade answered all her questions about how she had come up with the plan and the clues and gotten everyone to go along with it, their meal was finished and they had started in on dessert.

"I got you something," Cat said, as she pulled out a box from her purse.

_"Robbie, wait!" Cat said as they left the hair salon. "Before we go to the next place, I need to stop over there," Cat said pointing across the street to a jeweler's. "I need to get something for Jade."_

_"Sounds good, any idea what you want to get her?" Robbie asked, as Cat pondered what she thought Jade might like._

_"Well.." Cat went into a long speech about what she thought would be perfect and Robbie agreed that Jade would love what she had come up with._

Jade opened the box, gasping, he hand over her mouth as she looked down.

"It's beautiful Cat, you didn't have to-"

"I know," Cat said with a small shrug. "But I wanted to, you went through all the trouble of doing this for me, the least I could do was give you something that shows you how much you mean to me."

Cat reached out and pulled the white gold charm bracelet from the box and clipped it around Jade's wrist.

"The butterfly is because the day we met, you were wearing a shirt with a butterfly on it. The microphone is because you are my favourite singer in the whole world. The heart is because you have mine. This one is scissors because I know how much you love scissors and this is the infinity sign, because I love you infinity.." Cat continued to explain the small charms, stopping at the last one.

"This one's from Robbie, he picked it out," Cat giggled, causing Jade to look up.

"Robbie?" Jade said looking back down at the charm.

Cat nodded. "It's supposed to be a hand holding up it's pinky finger, he wanted me to tell you that he promises that he will always be there for you too, he knows you aren't close or anything, but him and I are kind of close. So he wanted this to be his promise that he will always stand up for us when needed and that he'll always support us. He also wanted to thank you for the ice cream."

Jade laughed and nodded, she could feel the tears swelling in her eyes and she tried her best to will them away.

"Jade what's wrong?" Cat said sounding concerned as she got up from her chair and kneeled down in front of Jade.

"Nothing, I just, I'm glad someone supports us, I'm worried," Jade admitted.

"Me too, but we have each other and I promise that will never change, it's not going to be easy to tell people or to wait for their reactions, but good or bad, it won't change what we have, okay?" Cat said standing up and pulling Jade up with her.

"Okay, but can you do one thing for me?" Jade asked, her eyes searching Cat's. "Dance with me?"

Cat smiled and nodded, leading Jade out to the empty floor in the private room, the silence between them filled with music as Cat wrapped her arms around Jade's neck and Jade wrapped hers around Cat's waist.

As they danced, Jade's lips found Cat's in a slow kiss, their tongues dancing just as they were.

_For all those times you stood by me _  
_For all the truth that you made me see _  
_For all the joy you brought to my life _  
_For all the wrong that you made right _  
_For every dream you made come true _  
_For all the love I found in you _  
_I'll be forever thankful baby _  
_You're the one who held me up _  
_Never let me fall _  
_You're the one who saw me through it all_

_You were my strength when I was weak _  
_You were my voice when I couldn't speak _  
_You were my eyes when I couldn't see _  
_You saw the best there was in me _  
_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach _  
_You gave me faith 'coz you believed _  
_I'm everything I am _  
_Because you loved me_

The two girls danced, there bodies and hearts in sync, losing all track of time.

"I love you Jade."

"I love you too Kitten."


	17. Only I Really Know Her

**So many people have been asking if the story is over, so to answer you all in one simple word: NO!**

**There is a lot left to the story, so have no fear. This chapter I wrote a little different, it's in Cat and Jade's POV. I like how this turned out, so I think I will throw in a few more chapters like this one as we go along. **

**Let me know what you think. Reviews are always appreciated. **

**xo.**

* * *

_Jade's POV:_

We walked into school and I could feel the looks as every head turned, there eyes locked on our hands. Cat's finger's were laced through mine and I could feel my shallow breaths and nerves shake, she must have sensed this as I started to feel her let go. I held tighter and she understood, readjusting her hand. I was surprised by how well it fit into mine. A perfect match.

_Cat's POV:_

Everyone was staring and I knew Jade hated when people stared so I tried to let go of her hand, but she stopped me and smiled, I hadn't wanted to let go, I just thought she'd want me too, but she didn't. I took a deep breath and took a step forward, ignoring the whispers of our classmates as we made our way to her locker.

_Jade's POV:_

Cat stood, shifting her weight from one foot to another as I gathered my books, her eyes locked on me as if she was scared to look anywhere else.

"Go grab your books, I'll meet you at your locker," I said in haste as I saw André approaching me with caution. Cat nodded but before she turned away I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers ignoring the gasping around us. She smiled and it was like everything else disappeared, she was the only one that mattered. I watched her walk away just as I watched him approach.

"Jade listen-" André started in, but I cut him off, whatever he was going to say couldn't possibly be more important that what I was about too.

"No, you listen," I slammed my locker door shut and turned to face him. "I don't care what you think or what Beck thinks or what anyone thinks. You don't know me and you don't really know her. Beck may have been the one to read the diary out loud, spilling Cat's secrets in front of people who had no business knowing them, but you were there. You, Tori, and Trina, none of you did anything to stop Beck, you're all as much to blame as he is. So shove your apologies-"

André laughed and shook his head, "I'm not here to apologize, I'm here to tell you that whatever you're planning, whatever this experiment or payback you're trying to feed Beck by using Cat-"

He had done it now, I could feel my rage bubbling inside of me, my fist balling at my sides, but then I heard her laugh, I couldn't see her from where I was standing but I heard her laugh and something inside of me calmed. "I'm not using her for anything, you don't have to understand, quite frankly, I could care less, what Cat and I have, it's hard to explain but it's real. I wouldn't expect you to understand. You've never had a real girlfriend anyways, love is something you sing about, but for me and Cat, we live it."

I shoved him out of my way and my eyes found Cat and Robbie.

_Cat's POV:_

I saw her talking to André, but I made myself busy as I talked to Robbie. He could see the worry in me, both our eyes shifting to Jade as we spoke and when I saw her making fists I took in a sharp breath. Robbie must have noticed too, because he made a joke and I laughed and both of us watched as the sound ricocheted off the walls and made it's way to Jade. It seemed to calm her so Robbie continued to make jokes and I continued to laugh.

She made her way over to us and as soon as she did I wrapped my arm protectively around her waist.

"I'll let you two have a minute, I'll save you a seat in Sikowitz class," Robbie said, giving a weak smile to Jade and grabbing his backpack off the floor.

He was gone and as I stared at Jade, it was as though we were the only two in the room. I could see the nerves and fear dancing behind her eyes, her hard exterior washed away with me and all that was left was the same frightened little girl who used to call me every time her parents fought. Jade was something very different to me, than what she appeared to be to other people.

"We'll be okay?" It came out as more of a question than a statement and she nodded her response, her lips stuck together in a thin, hard line.

"Good, no one else matters, it's me and you. If you're a bird, I'm a bird," I said with a giggle and I felt her body relax beneath my arm.

"The Notebook," she said and I smiled, sending her a wink, but she didn't smile back.

So I grabbed her arm and pulled her to the washroom.

_Jade's POV:_

The minute Cat and I walked in, a growl elicited from my throat and the two freshman standing by the sink squeaked and ran from the room much to my satisfaction.

I looked around the room and I began to pace, stopped by a small body who's arms had just wrapped around me and I picked her up in my arms before setting her on the edge of one of the sinks. I stood in front of her, as her legs draped themselves around my waist, pulling me closer. We were nose to nose and then lips to lips and I let myself be consumed by Cat's kiss. All my fears melting away.

I pulled back and smiled for the first time since we'd woken up that morning and Cat's smile grew larger. This was the thing that struck me most about Cat, she was calm and I questioned this, how could she be calm at a time like this.

"I love the attention," she said grabbing my attention as I stared back at her in shock. "I don't care what they say or what they do. I did, because I was scared what you would say, but then you said you loved me too and now, I have you. That's all I need, everyone else is just a bonus, if they are there that's great. If not, I still have you. I don't care if they look, because I'm proud to be yours."

Leave it to Cat to say the right thing.

_Cat's POV:_

"Jade it's you and me and it's not the first time that it's been just you and me, this isn't new, it's familiar and it's perfect. You're the night to my day, we fit. They might not see it now, but they will." I whispered, nudging my nose against her cheek.

I spoke from the heart and inhaled her scent. Jade smelled of vanilla and berries, I loved the combination, especially on her skin.

I hopped off of the sink and switched our positions, pinning her against the cold ceramic, my hands on either side of her. "Tonight you're mine," I whispered and her eyes went big and her knees went weak, but she held herself up. "Tonight, I will show you why none of them matter."

That did the trick, I could see fire in her eyes and determination on her face. Jade was going to get through today, even if it was only for me.

_Jade's POV:_

Her lips met mine one last time and the first bell interrupted the moment.

She stepped back from me and I held out my hand, Cat taking it without haste. I mouthed an 'I love you' and she did the same.

"Class?" I asked her, part of me hoping she'd say she wanted to go get ice cream or even visit the zoo instead, but she just nodded and led me out of the room and down the hall.


	18. Second Guessing

Classes that morning passed by dreadfully slow. Cat, Jade and Robbie sat at the back of Sikowitz class together, with the students who only ever reacted, today they decided that they would be one of those student as well.

Jade didn't miss Sikowitz's clear confusion as he watched the two of them enter the classroom, hands tangled together, but silently she thanked him for keeping the class so busy, no one had time to make any snide comments or even stare.

Second period was a blue, Cat was in a different class and Jade spent her entire period wondering what the red head was doing at any given moment.

"Can we talk?" Tori said, taking a seat beside Cat who shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

Cat shrugged and mumbled a barely audible, "I don't care," as she kept her eyes on her paper.

"It's wrong you know," Tori whispered and Cat swallowed a lump in her throat when she realized where the conversation was headed. "Jade's playing some sort of sick game with you, your feelings might be real Cat, but hers aren't, they can't be. Do you know how much harder your life is going to be if you're, _gay_."

Cat's head shot up and she stared back at Tori, unsure how to respond, but Tori interrupted anything she might have said and kept talking.

"You're my best friend Cat and I don't understand what's going on with you." Cat rolled her eyes, Jade was right, Tori was condescending, she thought she was better than Cat and Cat didn't appreciate being patronized, especially not by Tori Vega. "We can fix this, I know you're staying with Jade, but you could always come stay with me, that was you don't have to feel like you have to be with her-"

"I love her," Cat said flatly.

"No you don't, you're confused, you just-"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Cat was yelling now and everyone in the room turned to look at her, their teacher giving them a pointed look.

"Cat please." Tori whispered, her voice filled with a fake concern that made Cat want to scream again.

Collecting herself, Cat looked straight in to Tori's eyes and whispered back. "You don't know me and you don't know Jade. We," Cat said pointing between herself and Tori. "Are not friends, not even a little bit. You don't know anything, you just think you do. Jade and I are real, it's not a game, it's real life."

"Cat, do me a favour, ask yourself something. If she's so in love with you, why did she get so mad at me for stealing Beck?" Tori asked point blank, a smile crossing her face as she saw Cat's crumple. Knowing she struck a nerve, Tori moved back to her own seat, leaving Cat with her thoughts.

"I-I don't know.." Cat whispered as she watched Tori walk away.

Jade waited at Cat's locker when class ended, she wasn't sure what the feeling in the pit of her stomach was exactly, but she knew it wasn't good and when Jade realized she'd stood at the locker without any sign of her best friend, her girlfriend for the better part of the lunch hour, worry began to course through her.

Jade quickly made her way outside, spotting Robbie at the usual lunch table, she knew he was still friends with Beck, but seeing them together made her angry as she stormed to the table and pointed at him. "You need to come with me right now," she sputtered out, ignoring the looks from the others at the table.

"You can't boss him around," Trina said, her attitude striking Jade's last nerve as she reached out and dumped Trina's lunch tray on to the girl's lap before storming back in to the school.

"Jade! Wait!" Robbie called after her, surprised to see the tears in Jade's eyes as she turned around to face him. "Whoa," he mumbled under his breath, afraid to ask what was wrong, but not needing to as it all poured from Jade's mouth within seconds.

"I don't know where Cat is, she didn't meet me at her locker, she just, I don't know where she is and I-"

"Take a breath," Robbie said as he pulled Rex off his arm and placed him in his back pack. "There's only so far Cat could have gotten, where have you looked?"

Jade ran a shaking hand through her hair and shook her head, she hadn't looked anywhere, she didn't know where to start. She was a mess, she was worried and she was confused about why Cat wasn't answering her calls or texts.

"Jade, listen, she probably just got lost or something," Robbie began. "You go check your car, I'll check the Black Box Theatre and the attic, if she's not in the car check Sikowitz classroom and the bathroom and I will check the bathroom upstairs and the History room, that was her last class, right?" Jade nodded and Robbie placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's fine, I promise, meet me back here as soon as you've looked in those places. If you find her, send me a text and I will do the same, okay?"

"Okay," Jade said, ignoring the fact that Robbie was touching her. "Thanks."

Robbie let out a small laugh and headed towards the theatre.

"She wasn't there," Jade said as they met back up in the foyer. "Where the hell is she?"

Robbie shook his head, "I don't know, I didn't see any sign of her."

"Cat!" Jade screamed, causing Robbie to jump as Jade's fist collided with an unused locker. "Where are you?"

"Right here," Cat said as she appeared from around the corner, Jade immediately enveloping her in a hug.

"You scared the hell out of me," Jade whispered in to Cat's hair, pulling back when she realized Cat was returning the hug. "What's wrong?"

Cat looked past Jade to Robbie and then to the floor and Robbie understood, quickly making an exit from the area.

"If you love me and not Beck, why were you so mad that Tori kissed him and stole him from you?" Cat's words were detached from feeling and Jade's mouth dropped.

_'Where the hell did that come from?'_ She asked herself as she stared at a disheveled Cat.

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**Tori likes to stir up trouble doesn't she?**

**Review away folks. **

**xo.**


	19. The Way it Burns

The bell rang before Jade had a chance to give Cat an answer to the question she had just thrown her way and part of Jade was relieved, she wasn't sure how to give Cat an answer, she wasn't even sure herself why she had been so angry, she wasn't sure why it mattered, after everything, how could Cat question her like that?

The foyer began to fill with students coming from there lunch and Cat moved quickly past Jade and disappeared among them, frustrated, Jade headed to her next class without caring that she'd have to sit next to Beck. Taking her seat, Beck smiled at her and she growled, pulling her notebook from her bag and fishing around for a pencil.

By the time the class ended, Jade hadn't written a single thing down from the lecture on dramatic acting, she had however come up with a rather lengthy note for Cat. Jade swung her bag over her shoulder and headed to her Art class that she shared with Cat and dropped the letter in front of the redhead who was shifting impatiently in her chair as she waited for class to start.

Cat jumped when Jade's hand slammed down on the desk in front of her, the note trapped between her palm and the top of the desk.

"Here," Jade said coldly, as Cat pulled out Jade's chair and Jade laughed, pushing it back in. "I think I'll sit over there today."

Cat watched as Jade settled in to an empty desk across the classroom and nervously, Cat fumbled with the letter, her eyes falling on Jade's loopy scrawl.

_Cat,_

_How dare you even ask me that? After everything. Did Valentine's Day not prove anything to you, has this past week not shown you a damn thing about who I love. Well it's you if I hadn't made that painfully clear enough._

_My Dad cheated on my Mom. Beck cheated on me. I was to small back then to beat the shit out of the bimbo my Dad slept with, but I am big enough to beat the shit out of Tori. You know how I feel about cheating, you know how I feel about lying and Beck and Tori did both. So excuse me if I was mad, I didn't realize that was a crime. I was angry, shit happens when you're angry and last time I checked I wasn't aware you liked me or loved me or whatever then anyways._

_Honestly, I'm questioning whether or not you do right now._

_I'm in love with you, but that doesn't mean I didn't love Beck, we were together for a really long time and to have someone come in and just have no disregard for me and my feelings, I snapped. Sue me._

_You were fine this morning so what the hell happened, all of a sudden everything you said to me in the bathroom meant absolutely nothing? What are you lying to me too? Jesus Christ Cat._

_If you are looking for a reason to break up with me, just do it, get it over with, because if you string me up for to long, I might not be able to get back up from the fall. I can't do this not trusting thing, not with you, we've known each other for years and you just.. Wow._

_Why don't you do yourself a favour and ask yourself something, are you questioning me, because you're questioning us? Because I'm not going to play games._

_I want you. You. You as in Cat. Cat Valentine, the funny, amazing, beautiful, quirky red head._

_Not Beck._

_Not anyone but you._

_If you don't believe me, what the hell are we even doing?_

_We both know I'm a cold hearted bitch anyways, I'm sure you'll find someone better. _

_- Jade._

Cat felt her heart tear, she hurt the one person she'd promised herself she'd never hurt, the one person that had never hurt her. Cat shoved the letter into her bag and looked across the room at Jade. Except, Jade wasn't there. She wasn't in the room at all.

Jade slammed her locker door and headed to her car, she couldn't sit in the room with Cat, she was angry and she was hurt and she just needed to be alone. Jade climbed into her car and lit a smoke, her mind reeling. 'How can she question me like that? Like I'm a horrible person who.. Fuck it!' Jade screamed internally, finishing her smoke and flicking it out the window, before turning the key over in the engine and tearing out of the Hollywood Arts parking lot.

_'She can find her own way home.'_ Jade thought as she made her way home.

No one was home when she got there and the house was the way Jade liked it, quiet and lonely. No one but her and her thoughts and her music and.. "Alcohol," Jade laughed as she used a pin to pick the lock on her Mother's liquor cabinet the way she had done many times before. Reaching to the back, Jade pulled out a bottle of Whiskey and a few other bottles and headed up to her room, shutting the door behind her and tossing her bag to the floor and kicking off her shoes.

Jade pressed play on her stereo, letting the sounds of banging drums and screamed lyrics pound through her as she popped the top off the bottle in her hands and took a swig, the burn satisfying as it trailed down her throat.

"One because Cat thinks I'm a liar," she said out loud taking another swig.

"One because everyone thinks I'm a bitch."

"One for the Dad I never see and one for the Step-Mom who stole him from us."

"One for my Mom who does everything she can to avoid being around me."

"And Beck, one for Beck who fucked me and then walked away like I was nothing when a skinnier, prettier bitch came around."

"And one for the bitch, Tori!"

Jade was screaming at no one, tossing things around her room as she grew angrier with every shot of whiskey she let herself take down.

"Another one for Cat, who questions my love, because apparently, I will never be able to really love someone."

Drink.

"Who said that, oh yeah, one for André who apparently has me all figured out."

Drink.

"One for every whisper and look I got today from people I'd never even seen before, ah hell, I might as well take more than one for them."

Chug.

Before Jade knew it the bottle was empty and she hurled it across the room, enjoying the sound of the glass as it smashed against the wall and clattered to the floor.

"Let's see what else do we got?" Jade spoke in a slurred manner, inspecting the bottles she had brought up and grabbing for the Vodka.

* * *

**I love your reviews, thank you. **

**xo**


	20. Alcohol and Apologies

Cat found a ride home with Robbie and gave him a quick thank you before making her way inside the West residence, Jade's music was pulsing through the house and Cat cautiously made her way upstairs. She hadn't meant to hurt her or upset her in any way, she wasn't sure why she had let Tori get inside her head, but she knew she needed to fix it and fast.

Cat's heart sunk to the pit of her stomach as she entered the bedroom, smashed bottles on the floor and the smell of alcohol filling her nostrils. Cat panicked, she couldn't see Jade, but she heard the sound of crying and followed it to the closet where she found Jade curled in the fetal position, one hand wrapped tight around a nearly empty bottle of Vodka.

"Jade?" Cat whispered as she slowly sat down next to the broken girl and quickly wrestled the bottle from her hands, much to Jade's dismay. "Jade?"

Jade sat up, one hand pressed to her head in an attempt to stop the world from spinning around in. "What the hell do you want?" She spat and Cat bit at her bottom lip, her eyes searching through Jade's glassed over, red ones, for any sign that she still loved her. It was there, deep behind the hurt and Cat's guilt tore through her in a searing pain.

"You." Cat said plainly as she shuffled closer to Jade, being careful not to cut herself on the shards of glass around them. Cat reached out for Jade, tugging her close and wrapping her arms around her, surprised at how quickly Jade melted in to her side. "I'm sorry, please believe me, I'm so sorry, I-"

"Stop, get away from me," Jade screamed pushing Cat back at the sound of an apology she wasn't ready to hear. Jade pushed herself off the closet floor and stumbled around the room, arms flying as she continued to smash the things around her, her hands landing on the last unopened bottle of poison she could find.

"Don't you think maybe you've had-"

"Shut up! Shut up! You don't get to tell me what to do!" Jade screamed and Cat just nodded, staying seated on the closet floor, watching Jade breakdown in front of her and feeling completely helpless.

_'I caused this,'_ Cat's mind cried as her eyes followed Jade.

Jade took a few sips from the bottle and turned to face Cat. "Am I not pretty enough? Is that what it is? Am I not good enough for you Cat, did you get to school and realize I'm just fucked up and worthless?" Cat didn't answer and Jade scoffed, chucking the bottle and it's contents and the back of her bedroom door, the sound of the shatter causing Cat to scream as she watched the liquid slide down the wooden door. Jade laughing as she collapsed backward on to the bed.

"Just go Cat, just leave, everyone else does, why should we pretend."

Cat approached the bed and stood over Jade, looking down at her, her breath uneven as the tears began to form in her eyes. "We said forever," was all Cat managed to choke out before she realized Jade had passed out and was no longer listening.

Cat ran her hands over her face and through her hair, her entire body shaking as she slowly reached out to Jade and carefully removed Jade's clothing and replaced them with a dry pair of pajamas. Once Jade was settled properly in to the bed with her head on the pillow, safely tucked under the blankets, Cat placed Mr. Purple the Giraffe under one of Jade's arms and watched as she instinctively pulled it closer to her body.

"I'm so sorry I did this," Cat whispered, taking a seat on the bed, her hand smoothing out Jade's messy hair before trailing her fingers down the side of Jade's face and down the contours of the girl's neck. "I love you, I'm so sorry," Cat continued to whisper her apologies before she leaned down and pressed her lips to Jade's temple.

It took the majority of Cat's night to wash away the smell of stale, mixed alcohol from Jade's bedroom. As quiet as she could be, Cat swept up the glass and tossed the broken and empty bottles in the trash, doing her best to return the room to the same state it had been in before any of what had happened took place.

She could hear Jade stirring and turned around to see the girl kicking in her sleep. _'Alcohol gives her nightmares,'_ Cat reminded herself as she sunk down on the floor next to the bed and did the one thing she knew always calmed Jade down.

_My gift is my song and this one's for you_  
_And you can tell everybody that this is your song_  
_It may be quite simple, but now that it's done_  
_I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind_  
_That I put down in words_  
_How wonderful life is, now you're in the world_

_I sat on the roof and I can't tell for miles_  
_Well some of these verses, well they,_  
_they've got me quite cross_  
_But the sun's been kind while I wrote this song_  
_It's for people like you that keep it turned on_

Cat leaned her head back against the bed and closed her eyes as she continued to sing, letting her mind fill with images of herself and Jade.

_So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do_  
_You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue_  
_Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean_  
_Yours are the sweetest eyes, I've ever seen_

_And you can tell everybody that this is your song_  
_It may be quite simple but now that it's done_  
_I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind_  
_That I put down in words_  
_How wonderful life is, now you're in the world_  
_I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind_  
_That I put down in words_  
_How wonderful life is, now you're in the world_

When she finished singing, Cat turned her head to see Jade had fallen back into a restful sleep and she smiled inwardly. _'At least I've done one thing right today,'_ Cat thought before getting up and continuing to clean up the room, not wanting Jade's Mother to come home and find that not only had Jade drank her alcohol, but had also trashed the house at the same time.

Cat heard a knock at the door, it was almost 9:30PM so Cat assumed it was Jeremy being dropped off from his Cubs meeting. It was and after making him a snack, listening to him talk animatedly about his day and then putting him to bed, Cat went in to check on Jade, who's eyes were fluttering as she began to wake from her well needed nap.

Cat headed back downstairs and made a large cup of coffee and grabbed the bottle of Advil from the kitchen drawer and made her way back upstairs to find Jade sitting up in bed, looking around at the room and then down at what she was wearing.

"You cleaned and you put me in my paj-"

"Here," Cat interrupted, handing Jade the coffee and two pills from the bottle that Jade took without a fight.

The two girls sat in silence for a while before Jade opened her mouth to apologize and Cat stopped her. "Come with me," Cat mumbled, taking the now empty coffee cup and setting it on the nightstand, her free hand held out to Jade who hesitated for a moment before taking it and letting Cat lead her down the hall to the bathroom.

Cat shut the door behind them and Jade silently watched as Cat turned on the tap, filling the tub with water, checking to make sure it was the temperature Jade like it at. Slowly Cat lifted Jade's shirt over her head, letting Jade slip herself out of her pajama bottoms and step in to the tub. Jade let out a satisfied sigh as the water surrounded her and she closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, surprised to feel Cat settling in behind her.

"Can I say something?" Jade asked and Cat rested her chin on Jade's shoulder.

"Pass me the cloth." Cat said and Jade complied, relaxing into Cat's touch.

"Cat?" Jade said sternly when she didn't receive an answer, but Cat remained silent as she reached for the body wash.

"No, I think it's my turn to talk," Cat said honestly and Jade swallowed thickly before nodding.

"You said a lot, maybe it was drunk words, but usually drunk words are sober thoughts or something like that," Cat began to speak, using the now soapy washcloth against Jade's skin, pressing her lips to each area before she wiped it down. "I let Tori get into my head, I shouldn't have, she was trying to hurt me and all that did was make me hurt you. I didn't want too, I don't care why you were mad at Beck, I don't know why I questioned you, I was just, confused I guess. That's not an excuse though."

Jade turned in the tub to face Cat, but Cat refused to look her in the eyes as she continued to wipe the sticky residue from the alcohol off the girl in front of her.

"You're enough for me, more than enough, you're all I want, all I've ever really wanted. I'm never going to leave you. I promise. You're my everything and I didn't mean to make you feel like you weren't, I should have handled that whole thing at school better. I should have talked to you, instead I accused you and I just, I didn't mean for it to all happen like that. I love you." Finally Cat made eye contact with Jade, though it was only briefly as she motioned for Jade to turn back around once more.

Cat wet down Jade's long messy waves, squeezing the perfect amount of shampoo in to her hands and working it through her hair, Jade leaning back just so.

"You're the most beautifulest person in the world to me, you're worth more than I think you'll ever know. I'm so sorry Jade, I'm so, so sorry." Cat was crying now, but she did her best to mask the sound of tears in her voice as she rinsed Jade's hair and repeated the process with the conditioner.

"Me too," Jade choked out, leaning back against Cat's chest, Cat's arms wrapping around her middle.

"I don't want to fight, I don't want to see you like that ever again, you scared me, I hate myself for making you sad like that. It's like a kicked puppy," Cat whispered as her lips found the sensitive spot on Jade's neck and she pressed open mouth kisses to the area, Jade's head falling back further against Cat's shoulder to give her more room.

"I didn't want to scare you, I just didn't want to,"

"Feel?" Cat asked, her words muffled against Jade's neck, Jade nodding her response.

"I love you Cat, please know that, I love you, sometimes I'm bad at showing it, but I do, I love you." Jade turned her head, letting her lips meet Cat's in a slow apologetic kiss, both of them placing their apologies in their action.

"You show it perfectly, I'm sorry I let her get in my head, I love you too. Only you, I don't want to let you go. When you fall, I want to catch you," Cat whispered pulling back from the kiss.

"You already caught me," Jade breathed out, as she used her foot to add more hot water to the tub. "Bubbles?"

Cat giggled and Jade took that as a yes, leaning forward just enough to grab the bottle of bubble bath and add a few drops to the water.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming. **

**xo.**


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